History's Inkwell
by The Glorious Cheshire Cat
Summary: A rather different type of reincarnation fic. "You ARE Arthur," he stated in my ear before kissing my cheek and stepping away. Rating has changed due to language and future chapters.
1. Souls Never Change, Bodies Do

Chapter 1: Souls Never Change, Bodies Do

Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin_. I wish I did though.

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><p><em>The scrying bowl landed mouth down in a large puddle of water as the man swept it off the table in frustration.<em>

_A dark haired and beautiful woman entered the room._

_"Still having trouble Merlin?" she asked._

_He gave her a glare before bending down and picking up the scrying bowl. "I know he's close by, I can feel it. I just can't find him."_

_She muttered something and the water on the floor returned to the bowl._

_He looked down into the bowl._

_"Perhaps you're looking for the wrong thing. Instead of looking for Arthur, try looking for his soul," she suggested._

-SPACE-

The alarm went off.

With a groan that came from the depths of my being, I slid an arm from my warm cocoon of blankets to turn it off.

"I have _got_ to stop staying up so late playing video games. No matter _how_ fun they are." I muttered as I tossed the blankets and sheet back and pushed myself onto my hands and knees.

The second alarm went off a minute later.

I shut it off, sat back on my heels, and stretched.

Something in my spine popped and I got out of bed.

I quickly ran through my morning exercises, changed into sweat pants and a loose T-shirt, pulled on socks and running shoes, and grabbed a quick breakfast as I passed the kitchen.

Running every morning was my way of keeping in shape besides yoga, tai chi, and karate. It was also my way of analyzing and packing away the unexplainable dreams that I sometimes had and had been having since I was very young.

My mind soon emptied and I quickly ran through my day.

It was the beginning of a new school year and I was starting my one year Master's degree.

I had a yearlong class three times a week that went in depth about the characters of the Arthurian Legends and two one semester classes two times a week that went in depth about folklore and myths. I also had a class I was teaching twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays after my three hour in-depth class.

It was my own class that I looked forward to the most since I was going to teach an introductory course about the Arthurian Legends.

I already had a degree in Liberal Arts, focusing on the folklore and myths of the British Isles.

It was a family trait to be practically obsessed with the tales of King Arthur and his Knights; I was just the first to really do anything specific with them.

My best friend and roommate was hunched over a steaming cup of black coffee and the sugar bowl when I let myself into the apartment we shared. She gave her usual morning grunt when I greeted her.

I grabbed clean clothes and entered my bathroom to grab a quick shower.

There came a knock on my door as I finished getting ready.

"Hey you, hurry up. I'm not walking by myself," my friend stated.

I opened the door. "Chill Liv. I'm done. Let me put on my boots and grab my bag, then we'll go. Still don't understand why you can't walk by yourself on a campus of less than five thousand students. Camelot University _is_ a private college after all and has one of the safest campuses in the state."

She followed me into my room, completely ready to go. "Yeah, but I'm very much a social creature, Lys. I'm not like you. I don't like to be alone with my thoughts."

I pulled on my boots and grabbed my bag and hoodie. "If you say so Liv."

'Well I do, so come on." She dragged me from our apartment and across the open expanse of tree-flower-statue-fountain-bench dotted 'path garden' that separated the two five-story buildings that held the sixty two-bedroom and bath apartments that made up the whole of Camelot University's on-campus housing from the buildings containing the classrooms, computer labs, the extensive library, and food court.

Camelot University had been founded in the early eighteen sixties by two transplanted Cornish Britts on a high rise of land on the coast of northern-most Maine that overlooked a stony beach. Both men had been raised from the crib with the story of Camelot, King Arthur, his Knights, and Merlin, so it wasn't hard to decide on a name. It also didn't hurt that, like the slogan says, 'the minds of future leaders are molded here.'

It's a very difficult college to get into. You either pay an outrageous amount of money to get in as a freshman or you were invited. Olivia and I were two of the latter kind. Most of the students were working on graduate level degrees because actually had the money to get in and the drive to stay there.

A few of the other students making their way across the grounds, the more awake ones, called out a greeting to Olivia and a couple even greeted me by name.

Olivia Diane Williamson was a blonde bombshell with a mind most men found not only entrancing, but intimidating. She was an engineering major, going for her Master's degree, and more often than not I had no idea what she was talking about. She also came from old money and could have been one of the few who went to Camelot U straight from high school and stayed there, only she had devoted herself to me in the form of a close sister.

I, one Alys Morgan Penn, was your average everyday type of woman. I wasn't gorgeous, but I wasn't ugly either. I was a couple inches taller than average and in great shape though you really couldn't tell since I liked to wear loose jeans and shirts and the baggy black hoodie with my last name and the silhouette of a dragon on the back, a reminder of my high school fencing days. I was smart, but didn't always like to show it. I came from a middle-class family that worked hard, and was just as devoted to Olivia as she was to me.

We'd met during the second semester of seventh grade after I had gotten a full ride scholarship to the private school she went to. Olivia was one of two people who befriended me since the rich kids didn't really like the scholarship kids and the half scholarship students didn't like the full scholarship students. She and Gavin, our other close friend, had helped pick up my books after they'd been knocked from my arms and fend off my tormentors. Without them, I was sure I would have quit after my first week.

"So Lys, where's this monster class of yours at?" Liv asked as we neared the building her first class was in.

"Have to go all the way to the De Bois building. I'll see you at lunch." I replied, veering off to take the path that led straight to the Tristan De Bois building on the far side of campus.

The T.D.B. or De Bois building as we students called it was home to a lot of the arts and contained the six hundred seat auditorium. It was always deserted this time of morning, but this morning there was a tall gentleman about two or three years older than me trying to wrestle with a large box and open the door to the stairwell.

I caught the box as it began to fall. "Here, let me help you."

He smiled. "Thank you." he said with a British accent.

I shook away the feeling of knowing him and smiled back. "No problem. With a box like this, it's easier to take the elevator."

He held open the stairwell door for me. "I'm used to taking the stairs."

"So am I. What floor?"

"Third. I'm trying to finish stocking my office before my first class this morning." He dashed up the stairs.

"You must be a new professor then." I said as I followed.

"I'm Professor Davenport's replacement." He held open the door to the third floor.

"I loved Prof D. I took his 'Places in Arthurian Legends' class last year. I was sorry I didn't get to take his 'People in Arthurian Legends.' He was good at what he did, even outside the classroom. I helped him grade the stuff from his intro classes." I followed him down the hall to what was once Professor Gary Davenport's office.

"You wouldn't happen to be Alys Penn, would you?" He took the box from me and began to unpack books and nick-knacks.

"I am actually. If you tell me where things go, I'll help put them away."

"Books go on the empty bookshelf. Place the other stuff wherever. Gary warned me about you."

I grabbed things and began to place them where I thought they belonged. "He _warned_ you about me?"

"Told me that you knew the stories inside and out, backwards and forwards, and that you would very rarely get something wrong. After that he sang your praises and said that you should be the first I asked if I needed an assistant or help grading."

I chuckled. "He was always surprised by that. He'd give me special tests every so often when there was little work for me to do. He'd put in extremely tricky questions and I'd always get them."

He gathered up a thick folder and his laptop case once we finished. "Apparently you also gave much more likely scenarios for things, including battle plans. What's your first class?"

"People in Arthurian Legends. I only gave the ones that seemed logical." I didn't mention that I had seen the battles in my dreams, as well as the planning sessions that came before them.

"Yes, I remember seeing your name on my roster. Would you be averse to setting out the syllabus and schedule while I set up my laptop?" he asked as we entered the classroom just down the hall.

"Of course not. If you ever need any help, please don't hesitate to ask."

While he fiddled with getting his laptop connected to the projector, I placed fifteen of each packet at seats and then sat down at the center seat of the front row to look through mine.

Classmates began to arrive and looked through theirs.

"Good morning Alys," a male voice stated silkily from my right.

I held back a groan and did not allow my head to drop to the tabletop. "Nigel."

"Funny running into you here. I've really been looking forward to this class. The tales are amazing, and now we get to learn all about the characters."

I gave a small tight smile in return and went back to reading the schedule.

Nigel Killbourne was my 'stalker,' as Olivia and Gavin called him. He thought he was God's gift and I was the subject of his desire. He tried to follow me around, had changed his major to mine, and tried to get in the same classes.

I wished he'd leave me alone.

The lack of one very important character on the schedule caught my attention.

"Dr. Emrys, why isn't Merlin going to be covered?" a fellow classmate asked.

He leaned against the front of the table his laptop sat on. "I don't cover him. There's too little actually known about him, and what is known conflicts with itself. He will be mentioned, but we won't go into detail. I will give and optional lecture over Fall Break about my thoughts on who and what Merlin was." He stood up and launched into his first lecture.

-SPACE-

Olivia joined me at the table I sat at. "I swear that Cabel is going to try and kill me."

I looked up from looking over my notes for the class I was going to be teaching after lunch. "Then you shouldn't correct his math."

"The building would have collapsed, killing countless people. What about you?" She bit into a bite of her salad.

I smiled and swallowed my bite of cheeseburger. "It was wonderful. My professor is Prof D's replacement. He knows his stuff."

She leaned over. "Ok, what's the best part? 'Cause you're keeping something from me."

"He's utterly gorgeous. High cheekbones, absolutely stunning blue eyes, a cute smile that does make him look a little dorky. He looks as thin as a rail and has some big ears." I replied, jotting down a quick note on my paper.

"You know what they say about big ears, Lys." she teased.

I rolled my eyes. "Two things. One, he's my professor, so it's never gonna happen. And two, not true as Gav proved to us."

"When?" she practically screeched.

"You were drunk and I was just intoxicated enough to not protest. It was that party to celebrate Gav getting into med school."

She pouted. "Well damn. I'd have liked to remember that." She glanced at my notebook. "Revising what you're gonna do for your class?"

"Just a bit. Dr. Emrys doesn't cover Merlin in depth, so I'm gonna slip him in so my students have been properly introduced to him."

"Seen your stalker yet?"

I groaned. "He sat next to me in class. I spent first break chatting with Cynthia Blake. Second break I spent in a discussion with Dr. Emrys over a fact about Uther Pendragon I thought he'd gotten wrong. I think I convinced him it was wrong."

"Good for you. If only we could get rid of your stalker."

"I wish."

-SPACE-

Dr. Emrys sat in the back of my class, observing.

My students were filling out a crossword I'd made over characters and places.

"Interesting way to start off class." Dr. Emrys stated, his completed crossword before him.

"Just trying to gauge what they already know." I continued on my round.

By the end of class, I found that most had a _passing_ knowledge of the legends and was able to launch right into comparing various versions of how Arthur came into being.

-SPACE-

_The man was bent over the scrying bowl, a smile on his face._

_The woman entered._

_"I found him," he stated._

_"Oh?" she asked._

_He laughed and looked at her. "I did what you suggested. Souls never change, but the bodies do. Everyone may be like they were, but he's always been different. I just hope they can take orders from a female Arthur."_

-SPACE-

I sat up in bed, glancing at my alarm.

There was an hour to go until it went off.

I got ready for my run, sleep not going to come back.

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><p>AN: I am _trying_ to work on Garden, but currently Arthur and Rhyannon are having a stand-off that Merlin is refusing to help resolve. Something about wanting to keep his head if I'm understanding his mutterings right. And Gwaine is no help since he's munching on popcorn and watching them while Lancelot and Percival are playing with the kids. This was just a story I had written in a notebook and finally finished typing up. I decided I had to share it since it was actually finished. Trust me, when it comes to my stories, actually finishing something is an achievement to be proud of. And at the moment I'm not pleased with the document stuff in FF. I don't like the -SPACE- I had to put in when it shouldn't be there.


	2. Enter the Parents and Alys' Knight

Chapter 2: Enter the Parents and Alys' Knight

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

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><p>The first month of school passed and the required monthly visit to my parents sprang up.<p>

I got up early for my run so I could load everything I needed to take with me in my car before class. I would leave after lunch since I had nothing to do anyway.

Olivia moaned because she couldn't come with me. "I so wanted to go see Mom and Dad with you. Curse my blasted classes."

I rolled my eyes. "You'd think they were _your_ biological parents the way you go on. I'll be sure to tell them you said hi and get a care package for you. You can call Gavin over and ask him out."

"He'd never date me. And you had better. They're more like my parent than mine actually are. Remind her that I love all her fudge and her loaded cookies. And him that I like any of the books dealing with Medieval Eras. Have fun at home." She went towards her building.

"Have fun on your lunch date with your group." I called after her.

Dr. Emrys was already in the classroom when I entered.

"Good morning Dr. Emrys." I sat down in my seat.

"Good morning Miss Penn. Ready for today?"

I grinned. "I'm ready for this quiz. I can't vouch for my classmates."

He chuckled. "I look forward to reading your answers. Are you doing anything this weekend, Miss Penn? I was looking over my presentations for later and remembered how you pointed out the few mistakes in my others. I thought that perhaps you could look through them to see if you could find any other mistakes."

I sighed. "It's my monthly visit home this weekend. My parents always have something planned on the weekends I come home. I'd be willing to look at them weekend after next if you'd like."

"Why not next weekend?" he asked.

"Next weekend is the annual _Dark Legends_ tournament. Alys is head of a three person team that just so happens to be the Champions, seven years running." Nigel stated as he took his seat next to me.

I smirked. "You sound a bit bitter."

He grinned. "Just a bit. But this year is going to be different. My team has a new and unbeatable battle plan. And the Grand Champions have moved here and are going to be playing."

"I take it you would like to go for the usual agreement for the tournament?" I questioned.

He nodded. "Yes. My team beats yours, you go on a date with me. And if your team wins, I leave you alone for a week."

I shook his hand. "I look forward to seeing this new battle plan."

The rest of the students arrived and the test began.

Normally when it came to tests, I was the first or second finished, but when it came to the tests over the Legends, I was either the last one done or among the last ones.

I was the last one done this time because I kept double checking what I had written and adding things.

Dr. Emrys collected my test once I pushed the lead back into my pencil. "I've never seen someone so dedicated to making sure they got everything."

I laughed. "It's sort of a family honor thing. Both sides of my family are obsessed with anything and everything about the Legends that they can find. I'm the first in a long line to actually do something with just the Legends. My dad teaches English at the public high school in my hometown, and his favorite section to cover is the Arthurian Legends."

"You must have played the princess a lot growing up then. Had to be rescued from peril."

I rolled my eyes. "Absolutely not. I sought out peril and faced it. Other girls played with dolls and pretended to be mothers and wives. I played with the Knights and other figures from the Legends that my paternal grandfather made to go with the wooden Camelot he built me one year for Christmas and pretended to go on quests."

"Sounds fun. Well have a fun weekend with your parents," he stated with a smile before heading to his office.

I grabbed a quick lunch before beginning the two and a half hour drive from the small town of Esterton to the just slightly larger town of Pikerly, or rather a farm on the other side of Pikerly.

Speedy and Monty came running the minute my car stopped. Speedy was my dad's greyhound and Monty was my fluffy black mutt. Both had been gotten as puppies when I was thirteen.

I spent a few minutes playing with them before racing them to the porch.

They beat me.

Mom was in the kitchen when I entered the house, busy making candies and cookies.

I snagged one of her loaded cookies and took a bite before dropping a kiss on her cheek.

She smiled and half-heartedly slapped at my hand with the wooden spoon she held. "Don't spoil your dinner. Your father is going to grill steaks and lobsters."

"Marinated?" I asked as I got a green apple Jones soda from the refrigerator.

She checked the temperature of the peanut butter fudge she was making. "He never cooks them any other way. Could you start packing some of the goodies into the boxes for you, Olivia, and Gavin?"

"Sure Mom. Liv says hi by the way. She really wanted to come with me, but she had classes." I began to carefully pack cookie and candies into baggies and place them in the three boxes already containing our favorite nonperishable foods.

Gavin's box contained noodles and boxes of meals that all you had to do was add milk or water and bake. There were cans of peas, Gavin's favorite vegetable, in the box as well. Olivia's contained lots of tomato soup and canned vegetables since Olivia was a vegetarian. My box contained a mixture of the contents of their boxes. The boxes also contained two pairs of knitted socks made by both grandmothers, an intricately carved bookmark from my paternal grandfather, a bottle of homemade herbal pills made for our specific life-styles from my maternal grandfather, and a book from my father. Gavin's was a medieval medical thriller, Olivia's was a medieval Heromance, and mine was the last book of a medieval series I had read almost religiously since the first one had been published during my junior year of high school.

I finished packing the goodies and helped finish up the ones Mom was making.

Shortly before four, a deep male voice rang through the house.

"Where's my little Warrior Princess?" my dad called.

I was out of my seat at the kitchen table and in his arms for a hug in less than two minutes. "Daddy!"

Dad pulled back and grinned at me. "There you are. Your mom tell you what was for dinner?"

"Yep. I snagged a cookie, so she told me not to ruin my dinner."

"Igraine, you always ruin my surprises," he told Mom as we entered the kitchen.

"I didn't tell her what we were having with it or for dessert. And really Uther, I didn't ruin your surprise for tomorrow," she returned.

Dad rolled his eyes. "She knows what we're having with it because we always have the same thing. And only one thing can be served for dessert. Right Princess?"

I nodded vigorously. "Grilled veggies and a selection of cheeses. And for afters, the Penn Family Camelot Crumble and Waldorf Salad Surprise. A meal meant for a king!"

"And his beloved queen and treasured princess." Dad added.

Mom laughed at us. "Oh get on with you." She waved us off towards where the big grill stood on the back patio.

We gathered all we needed for dinner and set off.

Daddy took care of the meat and veggies while I focused on the dish that was a secret family recipe.

Our Camelot Crumble was a chocolate lava cake with a special type of lava inside, as well as a few extras, and it was topped with a chocolate strudel crumble and our version of a Waldorf salad. When it came to making it for family events, I was the one who made it since I was apparently the best at making it.

As we worked, Dad asked me all about how college was going.

I told him everything.

With the two of us working together, dinner and dessert were done in short order.

It was after the dishes had been put in the dishwasher and Dad went off to find a clue about tomorrow's activity that Mom sat me down on the couch.

"Okay Alys Morgan, spill. I want to know _all_ about the man my little girl is smitten with." she demanded.

I stared at her in shock.

She smiled. "I know you, love. I've seen you when you are 'crushing' and you are beyond that stage."

I quickly logged onto the school website and brought up Dr. Emrys' picture and qualifications. I handed her my laptop. "I am _smitten_ with my professor, Dr. _Mer_lin Emrys. He's almost completely perfect."

She looked at his picture. "Looking at him through your eyes, I can see it. I can only say one thing."

"Which is?"

"What did your freshman mythology teacher say about seeing attractive people?"

I gave her a disbelieving look. "You mean 'oh shwing'?"

She looked back at the picture. "Oh damn shwing."

I was floored. "_MOM_!"

Dad entered the room with something I'd recognize if I were blind. "What's going on in here?"

"Mom surprised me. Why do you have chainmail?"

He handed me the chainmail shirt. "It has to do with what we're doing tomorrow."

I fingered the links. "This only comes out for certain events." I ran through the events in my head and then grinned. "The Arthurian Faire in Machias is this weekend, isn't it?"

Dad ruffled my hair. "Indeed it is. And we are going."

"I can't wait!"

Dad gestured for me to go upstairs. "Your mom and I already pulled out the clothes and have them ready. Go pick out your weapons."

I stood up and took my laptop from Mom's offering hand. "Yes my liege." I dropped my laptop off in my room and dashed up to the attic with Monty on my heels.

My eyes swept around the room.

The swords and other medieval weapons were hanging on the wall to the left of the doorway. It was what lay to the right that caught my eye.

Underneath a sheet was my Camelot. I pulled the sheet off to find everything the way I'd left it the day it had been brought up to the attic when I was fifteen.

The guards were all at their posts, the Knights were sitting around the Round Table with Arthur, the enemy army was poised for attack, and most importantly, Merlin was in his tower.

I opened the tower and removed the hand carved and painted warlock.

My friends had thought me odd because my Merlin was never an old man. He had always been just a year or so younger than Arthur.

I smiled down at him. "Hello Merlin. I've missed you."

My parents' voices drifted up from the nearby vent that was above their bedroom.

"His name actually is Merlin?" Dad's voice asked.

"Yes. And she's smitten with him. You don't think he's…" Mom's voice replied.

"If he is, he'll take good care of her. But the minute he becomes anything more than a guardian and advisor, he better have all his magic and knowledge because I'll kill him if he hurts her."

"We're going to lose her aren't we?"

"No. She's still our little girl. We may drift apart, but we'll never truly lose her."

I knew they were talking about me, but I didn't understand what they were saying. I put Merlin back in his tower, recovered Camelot, and picked out the sword and dagger I wanted.

Monty lay at my feet once I got into bed an hour later.

I fell asleep with my parents' odd conversation on my mind.

-SPACE-

The people at the gate greeted us by name as we entered.

Machias, because it was a larger town than Pikerly and Esterton, put on a yearly Arthurian Faire in honor of Camelot University.

My family had gone every year since it began, and my parents had met at one. I had memories of coming to the Faire going way back to when I was very small, including the always getting up before dawn to get ready and drive the hour and a half to get to the Faire Grounds.

Dad was dressed royally, wearing chainmail and a tunic made of high quality fabric. He was every inch Uther Pendragon, from circlet crown to sword to leather boots.

Mom was dressed like a queen in a royal purple dress that matched Dad's tunic. Her blonde hair was piled up on her head and held there by hairpins and her circlet crown.

I was dressed a lot like dad. I wore a cotton under tunic beneath my chainmail, black doe skin breeches that were tucked into my mid-shin high black leather boots, black leather gloves, and a sleeveless red over tunic with a gold dragon on the front. I also wore an inch wide circlet and had my sword and dagger hanging from my leather belt, zip-stripped to stay in their sheathes just like everyone else's.

Mom and Dad strolled along arm-in-arm just a little behind me as we strolled around just to look.

We ended up by where the playful tournaments and jousts were going to be and took up a spot as they began.

Dad tapped my shoulder during the third joust. "Your mother and I are going to find something to snack on."

"Okay. I'll come find you when the joust is done." I replied, eyes still on the two men trying to unhorse each other.

Dad chuckled and led Mom off.

It was four more runs before the winner of the previous two jousts unseated his opponent.

I clapped along with everyone else and stepped back so I could go find my parents, but ran into someone.

As I turned to apologize, I realized it was Dr. Emrys.

He grinned. "Fancy meeting you here, Miss Penn."

I smiled back. "Family tradition to come Dr. Emrys. And please, call me Alys. We're not in class."

"Only if you call me Merlin. We aren't, as you pointed out, in class. Do you come here every year?" he asked as he fell into step with me.

"My parents do. I missed one year because of classes. It's the one thing I'll make a second monthly trip home for." I answered.

"What did you think of Lance?"

"Lance?"

"The winner of the jousts. He's a friend of mine. A lot of us are helping out with the Faire."

"He's very good on a horse. And his skills with a lance are excellent." I tucked my arm through his arm when he offered it.

"He's going to be giving a demonstration on sword fighting later. Unfortunately he lacks a partner as the gentleman who was going to help had something come up. Do you have any skills with a sword by any chance?"

I shrugged. "I used to fence in high school. I was State Champion for four years straight. Tried to join the fencing team at the college I first went to, but they didn't like getting beat by a girl every practice."

"That's fine. You know the basics, which is all he's doing," he replied.

"If he doesn't mind, I'd be glad to help out." I caught sight of my parents. "Would you like to meet my parents, Merlin?"

"I'd love to Alys."

Dad stood up from his seat as we neared. "Jousts are over I see. And you seem to have found a warlock."

I laughed. "Daddy, this is my professor, Dr. Merlin Emrys. Merlin, this is my father Uther Penn and my mother Igraine."

Merlin shook Dad's hand and kissed the back of Mom's. "It is an honor to meet you both."

Dad fixed him with a look. "And it is nice to meet you as well, Dr. Emrys."

A silent communication seemed to pass between them.

Mom broke it by gushing out that he was my favorite professor this year.

Merlin laughed and asked about the other years.

Mom instantly began telling about other professors and my school years.

Dad and I rolled our eyes and strode off after them.

"If she starts with the embarrassing stories, I'm going to drag him away." I stated.

"That would be rude. I'll just take your mother away." Dad replied.

"Thanks Daddy."

As the four of us continued on, sometimes stopping to look at or buy little trinkets, Merlin greeted his friends.

He eventually introduced me to Lance, who was very glad to have me help out.

"Merlin has spoken highly of you, Miss Penn. It's very rare for him to come across someone who knows as much as he does about the Legends." Lance stated as we shook hands.

"Please, call me Alys. Thank you for letting me help out.'

He grinned. "No, thank you for helping. We're going to begin soon, so either pick out a sword or cut the zip strip on yours."

Using the dagger Merlin handed me, I cut the zip strips keeping my sword in its scabbard.

I pulled it free with my right hand and smiled in satisfaction at how it felt in my hand. I may write with my left hand, but I fought with my right.

Lance drew a crowd by calling people to us.

As he demonstrated a proper stance, a vision of him in the same stance on a green field in front of a crowd of knights rose before my eyes. It reminded me of the dreams of battles and training practices I'd had. It felt as if I _had_ sparred with him before.

I took my own stance and waited.

The moves came naturally as he came at me, and he was soon disarmed and laying on the ground.

The crowd applauded as I offered a hand and helped pull him to his feet.

He grinned at me. "Shall we show them a few more complicated moves Your Majesty?"

I grinned in return. "Only if you're up for it, _Lancelot_."

He picked up his sword and the fight was on.

We drew a large crowd as we fought.

There were cheers and whistles when the battle ended fifteen minutes later, Lance unarmed and flat on his back with the tip of my sword at his throat.

I took a step back and sheathed it.

A few of Merlin's friends had joined him as he watched the fight, and as I helped Lance up, I heard one say 'It _is_ Arthur.'

I had no idea what they meant. I smiled at my beaming parents and then asked if there was a place I could freshen up.

Merlin led me to a water spout used by the participants that stayed overnight and left to give me some privacy.

I tugged off my gloves, over tunic, and chainmail and wet my face and neck.

"You fight splendidly Alys." Nigel's voice slurred from behind me.

I turned to face him. "Thanks, I think. Is there something I can help you with/"

He stepped closer. "You're gonna spend the day with me."

"Thanks, but no. You're drunk and I don't really like you." I replied.

It was a well known fact that he was a light weight when it came to alcohol.

As he reached out to grab me, Merlin seemed to appear out of nowhere and stepped between Nigel and me.

"I suggest Mr. Killbourne, that you return to your friends and leave Miss Penn alone," he stated in a cold voice. "And if you ever come near her again, you will regret it."

Whatever Nigel saw in Merlin's face made him run away in a hurry.

Merlin turned to me. "Are you all right?"

I smiled at my knight-in-shining-armor. "I'm fine. Thanks. I've been having trouble with him since we met."

He smiled in return. "You're welcome. Here. Let me help you with your chainmail and tunic." He picked them up from where I had folded them over a nearby wooden rail.

* * *

><p>AN: Yes, Alys may be a little OOC. But she was raised with small town values and she isn't the same. You have to admit that Arthur can be a bit of an ass, but Alys is more end of his life and more for justice. She'll have her moments, just wait and see.


	3. The Tournament and the Truth

Chapter 3: The Tournament and the Truth

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

* * *

><p>"You need to tell him." Olivia told me as we waited in line to pay for our lunches.<p>

I rolled my eyes. "Until the end of Spring Semester, not gonna happen. So can we move on?"

"Move on from what?" a male voice we knew well asked as its owner joined us in line.

"Lys' crush on her professor." Live answered as she got her change.

"It's not a crush!" I protested as I paid and then led the way to a table. "It is an all-powerful and consuming lust for him and an almost insatiable need to be around him. There is a difference you know."

"Sounds like it's lo…" our male companion began.

I glared at him over my glasses, having not felt up to putting my contacts in that morning. "Gavin, so help me, if you finish that sentence, I will challenge you to a sparring session and kill you in such a way that it looks like an accident."

"Yes Alys." Gavin replied meekly.

Gavin Xavier Smith was my other best friend. He was tall, broad, and handsome. He was also bisexual, but hopelessly in love with Olivia, and she with him.

I despaired of them ever realizing the other loved them and getting together.

His green eyes sparkled.

"All right Liv, give me the low down about this guy. We gotta make sure he's worthy of our little Alys," he stated.

I rolled my eyes, got out my laptop, and went to the page I found myself visiting more and more. "Here, look at his credentials and a short bio. And I'll have you know that my mother said 'oh damn shwing' when she saw his picture."

Gavin and Olivia crowded together to look.

"Go Mom, but she was wrong. Oh _FUCKING_ shwing! I'd do him. No wonder you have an unholy lust for him, especially with his qualifications. Why don't you tell him?" Gavin asked.

I sighed. "He is my teacher. As long as he is, I can't. It will be completely unprofessional. I will _not_ have my honor and integrity questioned."

"You know how the Penn family is, Gav. They're obsessed with King Arthur and the lot, and they are so proud of Lys for being the first to deal just with the stories. She doesn't want them to doubt her." Liv told him.

Gavin patted my hand. "After the end of the year, I will personally see to it that you can tell him. Especially since he is everything you want in a mate."

"Whatever, Let's discuss something else, like how we're going to play this weekend."

Liv looked around. "The Grand Champions, the creators of _Dark Legends_ are participating this year."

"I've looked up some clips of their battles. They are going to be our biggest challenge to overcome this year." Gavin stole one of my fries.

I rolled my eyes and stole a cheese stick of his. "How many?"

"Six, a full team. I know in regular game play the three of us have brought down twice as many, but this will be more difficult." He took a sip of his Coke. "They know all the ins and outs of a battle."

"So do we. What are their classes/" I dipped a chicken nugget in honey.

"Four Round Table Knights, a Druid Swordfighter, and the Great Warlock himself. He's never been defeated and his stats are positively outrageous. He'll be the one we have to watch out for."

Liv looked at me. "How do you want to handle it?"

"Usual way." I replied.

"What's the usual way?" Merlin's voice asked from behind me.

I grinned and turned to look at him. "Sorry, that's classified information. Our _Dark Legends_ playbook gets told to no one."

"Lys is too careful to let such things be known." Gavin told him. He looked at his watch. "We've got ten minutes to finish lunch if we want to get a practice session in after we get the supplies we need."

I grabbed my apple, the only thing left on my tray. "I'm ready to go."

Liv nodded and we stood up to leave.

"I'll see you on Monday Dr. Emrys." I told him.

"We're not in class, Alys." he teased.

I laughed. "So we're not. See you Monday anyway Merlin."

As we walked away, I could have sworn I heard him say that he'd see me before then.

-SPACE-

Kyle Lewis grinned as Liv, Gav, and I walked up to the door to the room the computers were set up in. "If it isn't our local Champions, The Avalonites. Ready to play?"

We grinned and replied in a well practiced unison. "Always."

He told us where our computers were and let us pass.

The three of us were in our comfiest clothes, which consisted of loose black cargo pants with lots of pockets filled with baggies of granola clusters, dried fruits, and hard candies, the T-shirts from our senior year of high school, and hoodies.

Our T-shirts were gray with navy writing that said _Avalon Private School for the Gifted, Home of the Knights_. Our school was affectionately called Avalon High by everyone, hence why we were The Avalonites. I wore my black hoodie from my years fencing, Olivia wore her navy one that had _Lady of the Lake_ on the back from her days on the Avalon High Swim Team, and Gavin wore the brown zip-up hoodie I'd gotten for him one year that read _Court Physician_ on the back.

I sat down in the middle chair as always and they bookended me.

Once all the teams were there, the tournament began.

We blazed through the before lunch battles with ease, and no one approached us during lunch since to do so would be bad. We were in the 'Zone' and could get rather testy if disturbed.

As dinner came around, fewer and fewer teams were on the path to victory until it was just us and the Grand Champions.

There were actually a few news people covering the last battle, which was to take place between The Avalonites and The Inner Circle.

"Remember, leave the Warlock to me." I reminded them as the countdown started.

"You're the Round Table Knight, Lys." Gavin told me. "I'll handle that Druid Swordfighter and some of the Knights."

"And I've got Gav's back." Olivia stated as the fight began.

Gavin was a High Priest, our magic wielder who was good at healing and long range attacks. And Olivia was one of the few lucky players with an otherworldly character, meaning she could do all that Gavin could and fight as good as a Round Table Knight. Unfortunately for them, neither could beat me in a battle, even if they fought as a team.

The Warlock instantly met me in battle as the Knights and Druid tried to take out Gavin and Olivia.

At first it looked like we were going to lose, but things changed quickly.

"Gawain, Lancelot, Galahad." I stated, naming off three of our battle plans.

Instantly, the Druid and two Knights fell. Unfortunately the Druid's last spell took out Gavin.

Liv battled the last two Knights, felling one of them.

My battle with the Warlock hit a bit of a snag.

"Liv, I hate to ask since it's a last resort, but Lady of the Lake me." I requested.

"No problem Lys." She did a spell that left her open to attack.

The last Knight killed her after she finished, but she was able to kill him at the same time.

My character's sword glowed brightly and slashed through the spell that would have killed me.

I took a deep breath. "Time for Hamlett." I quickly hit the buttons that would send my character into a fight-to-the-death rage and closed my eyes.

Gasps were heard from all over and then everything went deathly quiet.

"Is the battle over?" I asked in a whisper, eyes still closed.

"Yeah." Olivia breathed back.

I opened one eye to look at the computer screen and then opened both. I blinked a couple times, not really believing what I saw.

My character stood tall and victorious in the middle of the battlefield.

"We won? We won?" I asked.

The three of us looked at each other, and in the next second, were jumping up and down in a group hug as we chanted 'We won!' over and over.

I pulled away, threw my head back, and laughed joyously. I stopped and looked at Gavin and Olivia. "We won." I stated in a small voice before I burst into tears.

Through them I saw Olivia grab Gavin and kiss him. He then grabbed her when they separated and started making out with her. They drew me into their circle while they kept snogging and I buried my wet face in Gavin's free shoulder.

Chaos erupted around us as people cheered and congratulated us.

Kyle had to use his air horn to get everyone's attention. He wore the biggest grin ever. "It seems we now have new Grand Champions, The Avalonites, a three man team composed of Gavin smith, Olivia Williamson, and their team captain Alys Penn. I think our old Grand Champions would like to present the prize to our new winners."

The crowd parted and six people made their way towards us.

I grinned and wiped away some tears with my hoodie sleeve. "I hope this won't affect my grade in your class, Merlin."

He laughed from his position next to Lance and the woman from my dreams. "Of course not Alys."

Another man I had seen in my dreams, usually the ones I ended up dying in, stepped up with a wooden box.

Merlin grinned as he opened it and took out what looked like a very old crown. "I've waited for this day for an _extremely_ long time." He gently and carefully set it on my head.

Strangely enough, it was a perfect fit.

I smiled.

He grinned before giving me a deep bow. "All hail our great ruler, Alys Penn of Camelot!"

Cheers and clapping exploded around us as the woman handed Gavin and Olivia the usual gift cards for use in the game.

Merlin straightened, took my hands, and leaned close. "You _are_ Arthur," he stated in my ear before kissing my cheek and stepping away.

At the time, the sentence meant very little to me. But in the times to come, it and its speaker seemed to be the only stable things in my life.

-SPACE-

A couple of months had passed since the tournament. Things had gone on pretty much as normal and Thanksgiving was creeping up.

In Merlin's class we'd moved on past family members and some minor characters and were starting on the King himself. We would be studying him until Christmas Break and during the first couple weeks of Spring Semester.

It was the day before Thanksgiving Break, and Gavin and Olivia sat on Olivia and I's couch making out as I sat in the armchair, surrounded by books as I filled out the paper Merlin had assigned to judge how much the class knew about Arthur so he knew what he could skip.

The three of us were going to leave for home early the next morning, but we needed one evening to ourselves so we could prepare for the chaos that was to come, especially me.

"You're taking the crown home with you, aren't you Lys?" Gavin asked when he and Olivia came up for air.

I looked up from scribbling down another fact. "Of course. Tristan saw us win when he signed onto that game site he likes. They posted a video of the battle and my 'crowning' as he called it. He called me and demanded that he be able to see it. I said I'd bring it with me to Thanksgiving dinner so my family won't bug me to see it." I reached up to touch it where it sat on my head.

For some strange reason, I had taken to wearing it on the weekends and when I was home for the day. It felt wrong to be without it, as if I were missing a part of me.

Olivia didn't allow Gavin to draw her back into a long kiss. "Are you going to be all right Lys? I mean, you know, sleeping?"

"You still having the dreams?" Gavin asked.

I sighed. "Yeah. It's every night now, and not just scenes of the past. The people are starting to get worried because they thought 'Arthur' would have come to them by now. All except _Him_. He keeps telling them that 'our ruler will come to us when it's time.' But I think He's worried a little too."

"It's not stress or anything, do you think?" Olivia asked Gavin.

He shook his head. "No. Alys has been having these dreams since she was really little, and she's actually the least stressed person I've ever met. I'd be tempted to say she's been playing too much _Dark Legends_ if it wasn't for the fact that she's majorly cut back on how much she plays as it is."

I shrugged. "Well I dunno what's wrong with me, but I should be just fine, Liv. Don't you worry. And Pawpaw is coming. He'll mix me up something to help me sleep if I need it."

She agreed and went back to snogging Gavin.

-SPACE-

The house was full of people and the smell of roasting turkey and ham made mouths water. My father's parents and his brother and sister and their spouses were there with their children and my mother's adoptive parents, both full-blooded Native Americans, were there as well, which meant that the four guest rooms were filled and pallets for the kids were made in the basement family room.

The kids had been handed over to me so I could keep them from getting underfoot until the next day's dinner as soon as they got there.

I kept them entertained by setting up a battle between the Forces of Darkness and the Knights of the Round Table and telling the younger ones stories besides playing outside and dueling.

There were six Penn grandchildren including myself: Tristan, Isolde, and Lucan whom were my Uncle Gawain's children with his wife Anna, and Viviane and Joseph whom were the children of my Aunt Laudine and her husband Mark.

I was the oldest at twenty-three, followed by seventeen year old Tristan, thirteen year old Lucan, ten year old Viviane, nine year old Joseph, and six year old Isolde.

They all insisted on seeing the crown and hearing how I won it, aunts uncles, and grandparents too.

By the time bedtime rolled around, I was more than ready for it. So was Monty and we were out like lights when we hit the mattress.

-SPACE-

_The priest stood before where I knelt, holding the crown that Merlin had crafted once all of Albion had been united._

_"I, Arthur Pendragon, swear on all that I hold dear to protect and do what's right for my kingdom for as long as God wills it." I swore solemnly._

_The priest placed the crown on my head and stepped back. "Rise Arthur Pendragon, and take your throne."_

_I stood and face the crowd._

_"All hail King Arthur, Ruler of Camelot and all of Albion. Long live the king!" the priest declared._

_The crowd echoed it loudly and began to cheer._

_As I turned to take a seat in my throne, I caught sight of myself in one of the mirrors hanging around the room, Merlin's reflection standing by my throne._

-SPACE-

I sat up in bed, tossed the covers back while putting on my glasses, grabbed the crown, and sped down the stairs. I grabbed a well thumbed book from my dad's bookshelf and opened it right to the page about the crown Arthur wore as King of a united Albion.

When Arthur united all of Albion and brought peace to it, Merlin crafted him a crown using his magic. It was a plain gold crown that would never lose its shine, but it could only be worn by the true king of Albion. Which meant that only Arthur could wear it or things would go seriously wrong, and it explained why when Mordred crowned himself king, his reign was extremely short.

I kept looking between the sketch in the book and the crown I held in my hand.

They were exactly the same.

My half-asleep parents shuffled into the room.

"Alys, honey, it's the middle of the night. Is something wrong?" Mom asked.

I looked up at them in shock. "He gave Arthur's crown."

Dad rubbed the sleep from his eyes with the heels of his palms. "What?"

I turned the book around so they could see the image, dimly noting that the author of the book was M. Emrys. "Merlin gave me Arthur's crown. The crown Merlin created when Arthur united Albion, and made it to where _only_ Arthur can wear it. _I_ have it."

Mom and Dad shared a look before making me sit down across from them as they sat on the couch.

"There's a very good reason why you have it. You are Arthur returned. You are his reincarnation." Mom told me.

"I can't be. I'm just Alys Penn." I replied.

Dad shook his head. "No you're not. You're not 'just' anything. When you were three, we went to the Faire and watched the jousting. You had demanded to be dressed like me instead of wearing a dress like your mother, and you kept telling us what the loser had done wrong. It caught the attention of one of the fortune tellers. She took one look at you and asked us if you had dreams about battles and a past that seemed impossible. After you told her about your dreams, she led us back to her tent, closed it, and did a past life search. Real magic was done that day, and we found out you were Arthur. We tried to raise you as best we could, trying not to let you know about your great destiny." He smiled. "You're going to change the world, Alys."

I jumped to my feet, shaking my head. "No. I'm not Arthur. I _can't_ be. I'm just Alys Morgan Penn. There's no way I can change the world."

Mom looked at me beseechingly. "But you _can_ Alys, because you're destined to."

I dashed from the living room, grabbed my keys from the hall table, and got into my car, crown still in hand. I had no idea where I was going, but the road leading to the place I's called home for pretty much my whole life quickly stretched out behind me.

My car came to a stop outside the middle house of a street of huge and isolated houses on the far edge of Esterton.

I flew up the long walk barefoot, having not grabbed any shoes before I had left my parents' house.

The front door was unlocked and a fire blazed in the living room fireplace.

Merlin stood from his seat in an armchair as I came to a halt in the doorway.

We stared at each other in silence for a couple minutes.

I broke the silence first. "You gave me Arthur's crown, the one Merlin made when Arthur united Albion and only Arthur can wear. You gave me his crown, and my parents seem to think it's because I am the reincarnation of Arthur. A fortune teller looked at my past lives when I was three and said I was once Arthur Pendragon. Apparently my parents think I'm supposed to change the world, that I'm _going_ to change the world."

"What do you think?" he asked softly.

"What do I think? What do _I_ think? I think there's been some huge mistake. I can't be Arthur. It's impossible!" I exclaimed loudly.

He smiled. "It's not impossible. Arthur always went to Merlin when he needed help with something. You came to me, Alys, because you want help."

"I'm not Arthur! Sure, I've had dreams about things I could never have seen or been a part of. But that does not make me Arthur!" I replied, my voice rising in volume.

He kept smiling as he replied quietly, "You have a gift with a sword and other weapons of old. You never had to take a riding lesson in your life or be told how to do it and led around on a lead because you already knew how to ride a horse. And people tend to listen to you without question. You take the hardest part in group problems or the role of leader when there is trouble without being asked. The crown fits you Alys Penn. You _are_ the Ruler of Albion."

"Not possible." I returned.

* * *

><p>AN: The scene in the last chapter with Alys calling Lance Lancelot wasn't actually her remembering him. It was more her teasing him in return for his 'Your Majesty' remark. And as for what she remembers, it is more the stressful things she remembers most, but there are other little scenes she remembers. And as for Alys remembering a scene between her and Merlin and being a prat... *grin* Just stay tuned.


	4. The Troubles and Falling Together

Chapter 4: The Troubles and Falling Together

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

* * *

><p>A few of the others had been woken up by my raised voice and wandered sleepily down the stairs.<p>

Morgana, the woman from my dreams and that had been part of Merlin's _Dark Legends_ team, had perched herself on the couch and was helping Merlin shoot down my feeble attempts to prove I wasn't Arthur.

Galahad, another member of Merlin's team, had been sent out while I paced and ranted to get the crown from my front seat and lock my car. He helped prove, along with a very amused Lance and Gwen, that the crown only fit me.

Finally Merlin took my hand and led me up to the attic, which was not only his workshop but his bedroom as well.

He grabbed both of my hands once he'd locked the door and stared into my eyes. "It is nothing to check if you are Arthur or not, but you have to trust me."

"I do trust you." I told him.

His blue eyes flashed gold and a wave of magic that felt achingly familiar washed over me.

Different lives flashed before my eyes, most of them ending very early or before I could realize my true potential, until the life I'd been dreaming of since I was little played before my eyes.

I relived everything in seconds and knew.

When I came to myself, Merlin and I were sitting on the bench by his worktable, his arms wrapped tightly around me and my hands fisted in his shirt.

I caught my breath and pulled away a little to meet his gaze. "I guess I am the reincarnation of Arthur Pendragon. That makes you Merlin's reincarnation I guess."

He smiled. "I'm the original actually."

I stared at him in shock. "'The original'? How? I have memories of you getting white hairs from age and stress."

"I just stopped aging when I turned twenty-five. It had something to do with my magic and that I would be needed when you truly came back." He let me go and stood up to fetch a blanket to help stop my shivering.

"What happened after Mordred killed me? Because you were supposed to be magically trapped somewhere, especially since you showed up at Camlann only towards the end of the battle."

He wrapped a thick yet very soft quilt around my shoulders. "It's not important. Besides you know the story already."

I caught his hand as he went to turn away. "Please Merlin, tell me?"

He sighed. "It's not a story I like to relate."

"I want to know. I need to know so I can find out just how much work rebuilding Camelot is going to take. And I want to know what happened to my best friend in my absence." I tugged on his hand to make him sit down.

Once he had, I tucked myself into his side which got a small smile from him.

"My fight with Morgana took a little longer than I thought it would. She trapped me in a column of air at first, and it took me some time to figure out how to get out of it. By that time she'd left to go help Mordred, so I had to hunt her down to make sure she didn't succeed. I finally found and got rid of her. Unfortunately she cast a spell that trapped me in an oak tree before she fell. And that took even longer to get out of since it was a living being. By the time I finally reached the battle, it was too late to stop Mordred. I was too far away to do anything that might have saved you and could only watch as he struck the mortal blow and was killed himself. The battle stopped after that and I was right there as you took your last breath. We took your body and started back towards Camelot. As we passed a lake, the Lady of the Lake appeared and said that your body was to go to Avalon. I asked to come with you and she allowed it. I watched as they healed your body and then made it vanish. It scared me more than I'd like to admit. The Lady handed me your crown and sent me back to the edge of the lake with the promise that you'd come back when the world needed you. I returned to Camelot to find it sacked and deserted. Only my rooms and the secret places you hid important things were untouched. I rebuilt everything that was damaged, hid it with a powerful spell, and trapped myself in the Crystal Cave for a hundred years. During that time, I felt you and sent out a spell that would bring you to me when you were ready, but your life ended too soon after I felt it."

"And after your self-imposed century of exile?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Taliesin kicked me out. He told me to stop moping and go live my life. By doing so, I would learn more and be ready to help you when it was time."

I listened intently as he told me about almost everything he'd done while waiting for me.

My shivers had passed by the time the story was done and the sky was barely beginning to lighten.

He grinned down at me after a few minutes of quiet. "Well I've answered your questions, now you have to answer my one question."

"What?"

"What's this about an 'unholy, all-powerful, all-consuming lust' for one of your professors?" he teased.

I hid my face in his shoulder with a groan. "Don't make me have you thrown in the stocks, Merlin."

He chuckled and pulled me close. "I have status now. I'm no longer your manservant."

"Don't think I won't demote you." I retorted.

He kissed the top of my head. "Wouldn't think of it. Your feelings are returned you know."

I smiled softly and looked up at him. "We weren't like this so long ago."

"No, but we should have been seeing as we're 'two sides of the same coin' as that bloody dragon was fond of saying. It wasn't right back then, but thankfully Fate has fixed that." He grinned.

"Are you saying that if I were a man, you'd not be with me?"

He held up his hands. "No, of course not. I just like you better as a woman. You're prettier and much softer."

I pushed him off the beach with a smirk. "Just because I'm a woman this time doesn't mean I'll go easy on you. You're still going to be my favorite sparring partner." I stood up, the quilt wrapped around me like a cape. "Come along _Mer_lin. I'd like something to eat and a nap considering I did leave my parents' house in the middle of the night."

He stood up. "Ye gods, you're still a prat."

I smiled sweetly at him as I unlocked the door. "Yes, but I'm _your_ prat. It all balances out."

His laughter followed me down the stairs.

Mordred sat with Morgana on the couch as I entered the living room. He looked up at me and grinned.

"You're not going to try to kill me are you? Because if you are, I'd like a ten second head start so I can find a weapon to defend myself." I asked with an answering grin.

"No, I'm not going to kill you. I've realized you're a better ruler than anyone. Plus I don't want to find out what Merlin would do to me if I tried to. But if I ever do, I'll give you a twenty second head start," he replied with a laugh.

"Fair enough."

Gwen smiled at me. "It's good to finally have you back. Merlin's been going crazy trying to find you and waiting for you to remember."

Merlin entered the room with a tray of tea things. "I have not. You shouldn't lie Gwen."

I rolled my eyes. "Overactive magic?"

"Worse than that time you snuck out of camp alone to sneak into the Saxon's camp to listen to their battle plans. I don't know how many times we were under attack by usually inanimate objects." Lance told me.

"I counted two thousand, six hundred and fifty-two reports of such incidents. Lady Morgana's cat still won't go anywhere near the couch. And Percy still adamantly refuses to use the downstairs bathroom after the toilet and sink faucet tried to attack him." Galahad commented from where he was draped on a divan.

"It was two thousand, nine hundred and eighty-seven. Morgana, Morgause, and I chose not to share our experiences with the rest of you." Mordred corrected.

"It was not that bad." Merlin returned. He looked back down at the tea tray he'd sat down as Galahad spoke, only to find that the sugar bowl was heaping tons of sugar into one cup. "Will you knock it off? I don't use that much sugar!"

The sugar bowl smacked him sharply on the knuckles with its spoon when he reached for the cup and then brandished it like a sword.

Merlin eyed it threateningly.

I laughed. "I'll take care of it." I knelt by the table and smiled at the sugar bowl. "Hello. My name is Alys."

It bowed deeply to me.

"Well it knows you're Arthur." Morgana stated.

I rolled my eyes and returned my attention to the sugar bowl. "That much sugar will make him sick, and that would be bad. As the keeper of the sugar, it is your job is to make sure he doesn't use too much. Okay?"

It nodded vigorously.

I picked up the butter knife from the tray and knighted it. "Arise Sir Sugar Bowl and assume your knightly duties."

The sugar bowl bowed once more and began scooping sugar out of the cup until there was very little left in the cup.

"It's going to be completely insufferable now." Merlin commented.

I grinned up at him. "Well now your knuckles won't be abused nor your cup overflowing with sugar. Besides, I like the little guy."

The sugar bowl politely tapped a tea cup to get my attention and mimed putting a spoon of sugar in the cup.

"No thank you. I only use sugar in my iced tea. I prefer a tablespoon of honey in my hot tea." I told it.

It immediately charged over to the honey and dragged the fighting container over to the cup. It watched carefully as the honey container added honey and made sure it put the right amount in the cup by hitting the other container with its sugar spoon when the other began to get lazy.

"Please tell me the toaster hasn't been animated." I requested.

"I've only animated it once. It kept spitting burnt toast at me, so I took away the spell." He eyed me and the sugar bowl. "But you would probably get perfectly browned toast every time if I reanimated it, seeing how fond the china is of you. No doubt you'd charm the toaster with but a smile." He picked up the teapot and poured the tea.

I took my cup and sipped it. "My life just got odder than I ever thought it would."

Merlin handed me a hot scone covered in clotted cream and fruit bits. "Good. Part of what makes life fun."

-SPACE-

I pushed my glasses farther up my nose.

Morgana's fingers ran soothingly through my hair as I sat on the floor by the couch and rested my head on her knee.

I spun the crown on my finger as I tried to think of how what I now knew was going to change my life.

After eating a couple scones and drinking some tea, Merlin had personally tucked me into his bed.

I slept until about ten thirty when Merlin came up with a tray piled high with a breakfast fit for a king.

We sat on his bed and devoured it.

He presented me with a comfortable yet stylish outfit he'd scrounged together from the wardrobes of the female members of the Court while the tray floated itself back downstairs.

I just watched him with amusement as he puttered around and told me about who was back and what everyone was doing. "Merlin, is there any way I could get some privacy to change?"

He looked up from tidying a stack of papers and books. "I've seen you naked before, Alys."

"Wasn't a woman in that life now was I? I don't even change in front of Gavin and I've known him for ages and been one of his test patients when he needed one." I replied.

He smirked. "Very well."

A changing screen scuttled away from the wall and set itself up before me.

"And don't you dare peek or I'll have Lance get me a sword." I changed from my flannel pajama pants and faded Avalon High T-shirt into a pair of snug fitting blue jeans and an extremely soft and warm cream color scoop-necked sweater.

After pulling on a pair of Merlin's socks, the boots he quickly crafted for me (the most comfortable pair in the world in my opinion), and the crown, we descended the stairs to find the house full of Knights and three magic wielding swordfighters that had once been dead set on killing me. Introductions were dutifully run through and that led to where I was now.

Percy, who was Sir Percival, dropped to the floor in front of me and watched me.

I stopped spinning the crown and watched him back. "Yes Percy?"

He grinned. "You're a woman."

Leon, the last member of Merlin's _Dark Legends_ team, snorted from where he was playing cards with Greg (Gwaine), Owen (Owain), and Peter (Pellinore). "Thank you, Captain Obvious for that piece of information. I don't know _how_ we could have _missed_ it."

I looked over at him. "Be nice to him, Leon. He can't help it that he's cruelly depriving a village somewhere of an idiot. I'd say we should help him get back, but he can't remember where he's from since he let his mind wander and it never came back."

People started laughing, and even Percy chuckled.

"What I meant was you're different. You're not the Arthur we knew," he explained.

"No, I'm not that Arthur, not completely. Times have changed and so have we so we can live. This isn't going to be the Camelot of old Percival. We no longer have to worry about bandits and their ilk with swords and bows. We have much greater things to worry about. And if you think that just because I have two X-chromosomes and only one head to think with I'm not as good a fighter, just remember the Faire." I told him.

He shook his head. "That's not what I meant."

"Then what are you worried about? My leadership skills? Because I'm still as good a leader as I was then."

He sighed. "I know that. What I'm worried about is how you're going to keep the knights and all the others in line. You're a woman and, though you don't think so from what Merlin tells us, rather attractive. It won't be much of an issue for those of us in your close circle, but the others might get it in their heads to try and take advantage of you."

"Then I prove to them that I'm not just a pretty face and not to be taken lightly. And if they continue, they can face my Champion, because it'll be his job to defend my honor.'

"Who's your Champion?" Percy questioned.

I smirked and nodded in Merlin's direction where he sat listening to music and fixing his PowerPoints.

Owen laughed. "I take it you have plans for him my liege?"

"Call me Alys. I do have plans for him. Very big plans." I replied.

"Royal Bed-warmer?" Greg asked with a leer.

"That's only part of it. I was thinking something more important than even Royal Bed-warming Court Sorcerer."

"You would make _Merlin_ Royal Consort?" Peter asked in shock.

Merlin pulled out an earbud. "What are you talking about?"

Morgana answered his question with an evil smirk. "Just which of the remaining royals of the world Alys should marry to strengthen ties. We've decided on Elizabeth's youngest grandson, Harry."

"I still say I should marry someone closer to the people. According to Gavin, the head of the Swedish government has a very lovely son. He's fit and has the _bluest_ eyes you've ever seen." I stated, joining in on teasing him.

"Do you even speak Swedish?" Greg asked as he laid down his hand and collected his winnings.

I grinned. "Nope. But Gavin says he has nothing important to say anyway, so it all works out."

Mordred spoke up. "You need someone who can protect you from all sorts of threats. Someone like me. I'm willing to marry you, as long as you don't mind me missing from your bed six nights a week."

I tilted my head back to look at him. "We can be like Hera and Zeus. You can do what you like, just don't embarrass me."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Very funny."

"We all know there's only one person I'd marry, especially since he'd sabotage any dates I go on with other people." I told him.

He smiled and turned off his music. "What are you going to do?"

"About what?"

"You left home in the middle of the night."

I shrugged. "They're my parents and I love them. And I know that it's Thanksgiving, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to see them right now. I understand why they didn't tell me, but I would have preferred to be eased into the idea that I'm Arthur than have it sprung on me all at once."

He stood up from the desk he sat at. "Do you trust me?"

"You know I do Merlin. I trust you with my life and all of Camelot."

"Good." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

The person on the other end picked up right away.

"Alys?" my mother's voice asked as Merlin put the call on speakerphone.

"No Mrs. Penn. It's Merlin Emrys," he replied.

"Hello Merlin. I'm afraid Alys isn't here at the moment. She left in a bit of a state last night and hasn't returned." Mom told him.

"That's why I'm calling actually."

"You know where she is? Uther!" she called for my father.

Dad joined her as the phone made a noise that signaled that they had put the phone in Dad's home office on speakerphone. "Alys?"

"It's Merlin. He's calling about Alys." Mom explained.

"Is she all right?" Dad questioned.

"She's fine. She's sitting on my floor right now." Merlin answered.

"Thank God. May we speak with her?" Dad sounded very relieved.

"The phone is on speaker, but I think it would best to speak face-to-face. So I was wondering what time dinner was." Merlin caught the crown when I chucked it at his head, plucking it right from the air.

"Three thirty." Mom stated quickly.

Merlin smiled as he walked over to me and put the crown on my head. "Alys and I will be on our way shortly. I hope you don't mind that I'm inviting myself, but there are a few things I need to discuss with you. And I think Alys has questions that only I can answer."

"Of course we don't mind. We'll be expecting the two of you in a little bit." Mom assured him.

Merlin bid them goodbye and hung up.

I crossed my arms. "Forget Royal Consort, from now on you're going to hold the title of Stock Inspector. And I'm going to help you by throwing rotten apples."

He uncrossed my arms and pulled me to my feet. "This is for your own good Alys. You will need all the support you can get in the coming times. Plus, how else am I to ask for permission to court you?"

I gave him a stern look over my glasses. "Fine. But you're driving and I'm bringing along the sugar bowl. Heaven knows I'll need something to amuse me." I left the room to grab it.

-SPACE-

We sat in my car in my parents' driveway.

"I don't think I can do this. I love them and everything, but they expect me to change the world. What if I can't?" I questioned, trying not to hyperventilate.

Merlin grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it. "You are Arthur. Changing the world is what you do. And you're not doing this or changing the world alone. You've got Morgana, Morgause, Mordred, all the Knights of the Round Table, Gwen, Gavin, Olivia, your family, and me. And I will always be there for you." He looked at the sugar bowl that sat on the dashboard and was dueling the air. "And you have that blasted sugar bowl too."

I smiled at that. "Leave it alone. I like it."

"I'm glad. Now let's go have Thanksgiving with your family."

As we neared the house, Isolde came running out to meet us with Monty and Speedy.

She wrapped her arms around my neck tightly when I picked her up and put her on my hip. "You left Alys and I thought you'd never come back.

Merlin watched us as he petted Monty.

"Never gonna happen Issy. I'll always come back as long as there is breath in my body." I assured her.

"Are you gonna make the cake and salad? 'Cuz Mommy said she would make it, but it doesn't taste as good as yours does."

Merlin gave me a questioning look as he held open the door.

I smirked. "'Course I am, Issy. There's still about an hour until dinner, so you and I have plenty of time to make it."

"I get to help?"

"Yep. Can't do it really well without the best little helper in the world." I carried her and the sugar bowl into the kitchen.

Mom opened her mouth to say something.

"I don't want to talk about it until after dinner. Besides, Isolde and I have a very important dessert to make and we will have to concentrate." I stated before she spoke.

She nodded and asked Aunt Laudine how the early pea salad was coming.

The sugar bowl began to march back and forth before the stuff I lined up to make the Penn family dessert, looking like a general inspecting its troops.

"Alys, the sugar bowl is moving." Isolde stated in awe.

"Merlin enchanted it. Sir Sugar Bowl is going to help us. Sir Sugar Bowl, my cousin the young Lady Isolde." I smiled as Isolde giggled when it bowed to her.

Merlin leaned against the other side of the island. "Is there anything I can do to help?" He jerked his hand back when the sugar bowl hit his knuckles as he reached for a bit of chocolate.

"You could cut the fruit while Issy and I make the cake batter and filling." I told him.

The knife I'd gotten out for that reason jumped up and began slicing the fruit.

"You are so lazy." I added the cocoa powder.

"I work smart, not hard. So what are you making?"

Isolde handed me the egg I needed. "It's a Penn family secret recipe. Only people who belong to the family can know it. And you don't."

Merlin just chuckled and went to offer Mom and my aunts help with what they were doing.

It was closer to a quarter until four that we all sat down at the table. I was sitting between Isolde and Merlin and across from Tristan.

We waited until Grandpa Lionel, my paternal grandfather, spoke.

"I am thankful for my beloved family and that we are all together for another year," he stated.

Grandma Ruth took her turn. "I am thankful for my family and good friends."

Pawpaw David spoke. "The family the Great Spirit allowed us to join."

Mawmaw Mary smiled at everyone. "I am thankful for all that we have."

This continued around the table. My aunts and uncles were thankful for their families and jobs, my parents were thankful for the family and their biggest miracle (that being me), Tristan was thankful for his family and the internet so he could be a gamer, Lucan was thankful for cell phones and turkey, Viviane and Joseph were thankful for my dessert, and Isolde listed everyone at the table.

I looked at my hands that rested in my lap for a few seconds before looking up at everyone. "I am thankful for my family, for friends new, old, and in between, for knowing who I am, for the other side of the coin, and for Merlin's magical sugar bowl that amuses me so."

The sugar bowl preened as everyone laughed.

Then it was Merlin's turn.

"I am thankful for too many things to list. Among the many things I am thankful for are friends, but mostly for the return of someone I have waited many years for. I am more thankful than can be expressed that things are finally going to be as they should have been and that the feelings I've fought for longer than I knew are returned just as strong." Merlin took one of my hands with a smile and gave it a squeeze.

Tristan snickered. "Alys and Merlin sittin' in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g." He yelped as I kicked him under the table.

"My dearest cousin, you _don't_ want to finish that." I warned him with a sickly sweet smile.

He gulped. "Yes Alys."

Merlin chuckled as bowls were passed around. "You're still terrifying, especially with that smile."

I finished putting a small scoop of early pea salad on Isolde's plate and put a scoop on mine. "Shut up Merlin." I handed him the bowl of it and took the plate of turkey from Aunt Laudine.

Dinner was spent talking about random things that included my grandparents, aunts, and uncles questioning Merlin about his job, Lucan telling me about the newest _Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series_ video by Littlekoriboh (somehow getting a promise that I'd watch the last four I'd 'missed' with him), and other trivial matters.

"Uther says that Alys told him that you don't cover Merlin in your class." Grandma Ruth commented.

Merlin swallowed what was in his mouth. "No, I don't. Since there's such a large amount of speculation and set views on the topic, I don't cover it in class to prevent an uproar when I give my own opinion."

I took a drink. "Even if it is the truth. The lecture he gave over Fall Break caused quite a stir. That's why Olivia, Gavin, and I didn't come home like we normally do since we attended it. Plus Merlin doesn't like to go in depth about the tail end of the Battle of Camlann and afterwards. I had to correct the fact that Merlin was made Arthur's manservant because his mother asked that he be given the position."

"Don't you say that Merlin got his job 'cause he saved Arthur's life at a feast?" Viviane asked.

"Yep. And it's the truth." I replied.

"So is he _really_ Merlin the wizard?" Joseph questioned.

"Yes." Merlin and I answered in unison.

Joseph studied Merlin. "You don't look old. Shouldn't you have a long white beard and be living backwards while stuck in a column of air?"

Merlin laughed. "I'm almost two thousand years old. I stopped aging at twenty-five, and I'll have you know that I escaped that fate. Would you like to see some magic?"

The little ones' heads nodded so much that I feared they might fall off.

Merlin turned to Dad. "May I?"

Dad sat back in his seat. "Please do. I'd like to see some proof myself."

Merlin turned to me. "Any requests?"

"Nothing dangerous and stick with what you're best with." I replied.

He held up hand palm up and his eyes flashed gold as a fireball appeared over his palm.

It morphed into the Pendragon crest and took flight to circle the room. It flew over the two unlit candles on the table, setting them alight, before it came to rest above my head and burst into bright multi-colored lights that quickly disappeared.

There were impressed noises from all around the table.

Isolde tugged on my sleeve. "Alys, if he is Merlin, does that make you Arthur?"

Merlin summoned the crown from the table I'd put it on when we'd walked in and put it on my head. "It does indeed."

I glared at him. "You and me, two swords, front yard, after the discussion."

He paled slightly. "I was just telling the truth."

"Don't be mean to him, Alys. I like him." Isolde told me.

I ruffled her hair. "All right Issy. I will be nice for your sake." I turned to Merlin. "You're lucky Issy likes you or you'd be in trouble. Now you owe a six year old for keeping me from creaming you in a sparring session."

He leaned forward and gave as much of a bow as he could to Isolde. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart Lady Isolde."

Isolde giggled and dinner moved on.

Merlin fell in love with my dessert and had two large helpings of it.

Mom stared at him in shock, having watched him eat to heaping plates of dinner and then dessert. "Where does it all go? He's almost as slender as a twig."

I chuckled as I sat back in my chair with my usual after-dinner cup of hot chocolate, piled high with whipped topping and chocolate shavings. "I think it has to do with his magic. It burns tons of calories. I used to ask the same thing at feasts until I finally decided that was just Merlin."

Merlin finally ate his last bite, wiped his mouth on his napkin, and sat back with a content sigh.

"Alys, I keep forgetting to ask. How's that class of yours going? Your students learning?" Uncle Gawain asked as we adults moved into the living room.

"I love it. They're getting ready to a quiz over Merlin and the tale of the Green Knight. The rest of the class is focused solely on the Grail and the final is going to cover everything. I've gotten good feedback so far from the students." I sat down in my usual spot by Dad's armchair.

Isolde followed us instead of the other kids and settled in my lap.

Before the discussion to come could start, the front door opened and Olivia and Gavin joined us.

"Happy Thanksgiving everybody." Gavin stated.

"So, looks like we're just in time for the conversation. Scoot over you, that's my spot you're in." Olivia told Merlin.

I grabbed his hand. "Sit in Gavin's lap, Liv. Merlin's not moving."

She pouted as she did so until Gavin kissed her neck.

I looked at everyone else. "Okay, first place to start is how much does Gav and Liv know about this?"

Gavin spoke. "We know about your dreams and that you left the house last night without your cell. And that you somehow ended up at your professor's house. Geez Lys, you're such a stalker."

I stuck out my tongue at him. "It was by accident. I had no idea where he lived until I parked and walked in the front door."

"I can catch them up really quickly if you'd like, and give them back their memories from your first reign." Merlin offered.

I looked my two best friends over. "Gav is Gaius, but who is Liv?"

"Freya."

I turned to him. "That Druid girl you were trying to hook up with that was cursed and ended up as Lady of the Lake? Liv isn't going to try and hit on you if she gets her memories back is she? 'Cause if she is, I'm afraid I'll have to fight her, even if she is my best friend."

He chuckled and squeezed my hand. "No, she won't. Who do you think helped me figure out what I was feeling?"

I shrugged. "Just make the recovery period short."

He muttered something as his eyes flashed gold and Gavin and Olivia froze.

They soon recovered and blinked at Merlin and me.

"I told you everything would work out if given enough time Merlin." Olivia told him smugly.

Gavin just shook his head and hugged Olivia closer.

Mom spoke up from Dad's lap. "Now that that's taken care of, I know you have questions Alys. So ask away."

I wrapped my arms around a very sleepy Isolde and rested my chin gently on her head. "I get why you didn't tell me. You didn't want me to feel like I was being forced to do it or start thinking I was extremely important." I ignored Merlin's muttered 'even if you are.' "My main question is who all of the family knew about me being the reincarnation of Arthur?"

The guilty looks my grandparents, aunts, and uncles shared answered that one.

I sighed and turned to Merlin. "The rest of my questions only you can answer. Exactly _what_ am I supposed to do?"

"You are to lead the world into a new age of enlightenment." Dad told me before handing me the book I'd grabbed the night before to compare the sketch of the crown with my own. "I know you've read the book."

Merlin caught sight of the title and the author. "I can sign that if you'd like."

I rolled my eyes. "Should have known you wrote this. Had too much truth to it. I get that Dad, but I want to know details."

"The stone I placed in front of Camelot and put Excalibur in before hiding them has appeared again. It's been kept quiet, but there is a group claiming to be the Knights and you and I reborn. They're power-hungry and set on making the world follow them. You're to pull your sword and enter the gates of Camelot, since I spelled it to where only you can. Once that's done, it's just political reform and the like." Merlin explained.

I groaned. "Oh yay, tons of counsel meetings. You had better be there or the purple robes and the Hat come back." I warned.

He paled. "I'll be there. I never want to see them again."

* * *

><p>AN: And thus Alys acts like a prat...and my favorite character of my whole story makes its appearance.


	5. Retraining the Knights and the

Chapter 5: Retraining the Knights and the Courting of the King

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

* * *

><p>"So how long do I have until the group makes their move?"<p>

Merlin carefully took a sleeping Isolde from me, knowing that I'd want to pace. "They're going to announce the appearance of the sword and stone the sixteenth of January. Experts are going to be flown in and then high up people, rulers of countries and other politicians mostly, are going to be allowed to try their hand at trying to pull it free. It won't be until early December that 'regular people' will be allowed to try. It'll be the rich that get to try. Our opponent is rich, so he'll get to try eventually. Luckily for us, I have ties in the British government that will get you on the list once I call them to let them know I found you."

I paced in front of the bay window where Uncle Mark and Uncle Gawain sat. "So I have about a year to whip the Knights into shape and sharpen my own skills. Is the Royal Family _really_ going to believe you found me?"

"I have a sworn promise sealed with magic and blood that they will. And once you pull Excalibur free, they'll have no choice _but_ to believe." Merlin assured me.

I continued to pace, trying to plan exactly what I would have to test.

"Your Majesty…" Gavin began.

I shot him a look. "I'm still Lys, Gav. Please don't treat me any different from how you normally do. I couldn't stand it if you changed on me after we've been so relaxed with each other for the last eleven or so years."

He grinned roguishly at me. "Sorry Lys. Old habits and all. Anyway, I was going to suggest you _write_ down your list that you're making so you don't freak out that you've forgotten something."

I stuck my tongue out my tongue at him but grabbed a pen and some paper from the table anyway.

Merlin cleared his throat. "Speaking of things to do, I would like to formally ask for permission to court Alys."

The men of my family exchanged looks as we women and Gavin tried not to laugh.

Dad turned to Merlin. "What would you do if we said no?"

"Do it anyway. He's stubborn like that." I answered as I made my list of things to test.

"I think, Uther, that the real question is what _Alys_ would do if we said 'no'." Uncle Mark commented.

Dad snorted. "I know exactly what she'd do. She'd roll her eyes, tell me she's not six anymore, and then tell him to pick her up at seven. What are you intentions with my duaghter?"

"I would at some point like to ask her to marry me after getting to know her better as Alys." Merlin replied.

My grandfathers spoke in unison, something that kinda freaked everyone out when they did it. "Do you like her because she was once Arthur or for all there is?"

"I fell in love with Arthur, but did not realize it until too late. I got to know her as Alys, and even if she were not Arthur or I not in love with Arthur, I would still like her."

Grandma Ruth rolled her eyes. "Just answer the damn question he asked! He'll take good care of her and you can tell that they are meant to be."

"Yes Mom." Dad sat up straighter and looked down at Merlin regally.

Mom and I looked at each other and snickered, even as Merlin paled.

"This isn't funny Alys. I feel like I'm back in Camelot with Uther Pendragon ruling and possibly about to lose my head for something." Merlin told me.

I tried to stop my laughter, but it came out as snorts, so I just laughed. "Yes it is. Of course back then it was usually because you were an idiot."

Dad fought back a smile. "You have my permission to court my daughter. But if you do anything to hurt her, I don't care how powerful you are, her grandfathers, uncles, and I will hunt you down and break you."

Merlin swallowed sharply, knowing that they would do exactly that. "You have my word."

I rolled my eyes as I finished my list. "You guys will have to get in line to get what _I_ leave of him, if anything. What are the Knights' plans for this weekend?"

"Well most of them were going to see a movie. Morgana, Morgause, and Mordred wanted to go see a show at the Arts Theatre in Machias. The rest were just going to hang out at home and going to see the movie later this weekend." Merlin took my hand as I sat back down.

"Hmmn. I need your cell phone. The three can keep their plans, but the others are either going to have to move up their plans, go to a _late_ showing, or give them up. They belong to me this weekend." I fished his cell out of his jean pocket and sent off a mass text telling them of that fact.

As expected, a few minutes later I received begrudging and somewhat fearful 'yes Sire's from them.

"You belong to me this weekend too, Merlin. I want to brush up on my fighting skills against magic wielders." I told him as I triple checked my list.

"Fighting them is _my_ job. You let me handle the magic fights. And I will belong to you any time you wish." He kissed the back of hand and grinned like an idiot.

"I need to practice just in case you aren't around or there's more than you can handle at once. I'd make it an order but we know who well you follow those." I scrolled down until I found the contact I wanted and hit the call button.

"Yes?" came the female voice I wanted from the other end.

"Morgana, Merlin won't play with me this weekend. I want to brush up my skills against a magic user and he said no. Would you and the other two be willing to help at some point this weekend?" I asked.

Merlin sputtered. "I'll do it! They're likely to hurt you or do something to make me think they'll hurt you."

"Never mind, he just agreed to do it." I told her.

She laughed. "He's so overprotective. You've got him wrapped around your finger."

I looked at Merlin with a grin. "Not yet, but I will. Bye Morgana."

She hung up laughing.

"I know that grin. It usually means I end up doing something reckless or that makes me look like a complete idiot." Merlin commented warily as I folded my list and put it in my pocket.

I took Isolde from him and stood up. "Not a very hard thing to do considering that it's you, Merlin. I'm going to go lay Issy on my bed, then meet the rest of the women in the kitchen. While we clean, Merlin can get to know the men of the family and vice versa."

Olivia laughed as she and my female relatives stood. "You are so evil Lys."

I shrugged as I made my way to the door. "He's the one who asked to court me. Best to get the Inquisition out of the way quickly."

Merlin jumped to his feet. "I'll come help you in the kitchen."

"Sit down Merlin. Leave the women folk to their gossiping, I mean cleaning. Stay here with us and have a nice chat." Dad commanded in a deceptively calm and nice tone.

Uncle Gawain casually threw an arm around Merlin's shoulders as he moved to sit on the couch. "Yes Merlin, stay here with the men. Let the women talk about children and the rest. No need for you to get involved in all that."

Merlin paled considerably and shot me a panicked and pleading look where I stood in the doorway.

I just gave him a wink and started up the stairs.

Two hours later found me standing in the gazebo Dad had built for Mom shortly after they got married with a mug of hot tea and Monty leaning against my legs.

Monty's tail wagged as Merlin joined us. He'd taken a real liking to Merlin the moment we'd gotten out of the car.

"They didn't scare you too bad, did they?" I questioned.

He shook his head and took my head. "No. They mostly just wanted to know more about me. What did you 'women folk' talk about?"

"The usual. How everyone was, the younger ones' recent doings, that type of stuff." I took a drink of my tea and then sat it on the railing.

"You know, once they were finished questioning me, they started telling me stories." He grinned.

I did not like the way that sounded. "What stories did they tell you?" I asked with a groan, having some idea as to which ones they may have told.

His grin grew wider.

"I think you must have a bit of the Sight this time around, what with you 'gonna marry Merlin' when you grew up." he teased.

I groaned again as I turned to fully face him. "I was _six_ when I said that. And kinda obsessed with magic at the time."

He chuckled. "I think it's cute. Glad I made such an impression." He turned to face me more fully, taking one of my hands. "Gods you're beautiful."

I ducked my head and blushed. "Thanks."

He used free hand to tilt it back up. "Don't ever hide from me, Alys. You don't ever need to. Even if you can be a prat like you were with your comments before you left me to the wolves."

I smiled. "But like I said before, I may be a prat, but I'm _your_ prat so it all balances out."

"Yes it does."

We studied each other for a few moments and I tried to ignore the eyes I knew had to be secretly watching us from the house.

I broke the silence. "You gonna kiss me or what?"

He leaned in. "I'm gonna kiss you."

I'd dated a few guys, mostly during my freshman year of college, but never had a first kiss been like that one. It was all the old clichés and more. There's a quote I'd once read that said 'sometimes you kiss someone and you know right then and there that that's the person you want to kiss for the rest of your life.' It was something I personally believed since it was basically the same answer all the adults in my family had given me when I asked them at age eight how they knew they were meant to be together. The short version was that they kissed and knew they'd kiss no one else.

Merlin was mine. He was the only person I ever wanted to kiss again.

We drew apart when Tristan began to sing 'Alys and Merlin sitting in a tree,' only he was accompanied by Lucan, Viviane, and Joseph.

"We aren't in a tree." Merlin pointed out.

I blinked and found myself sitting in the old oak tree my old tree house was in and my two swings hung from, on a thick and sturdy branch next to Merlin.

"Now we are." Merlin called down.

I laughed until he drew me back into a kiss.

-SPACE-

The whole of the Knights were lined up before me in armor with weapons close at hand.

I paced before them, looking them over.

Merlin had helped me dress in my own armor and weapons, the ones I had used long ago as Crown Prince and my early days as King, after breakfast. He'd had to use his magic to make my armor fit my now female body and tie my dark blonde hair up to where it wouldn't bother me while I was sparring since its just past shoulder length meant that it liked to get in my face.

Thanksgiving had been on a Saturday and the following Monday Merlin had gone in to talk to the Dean of Liberal Arts and the Dean of Camelot University so that he and I could date without anyone suggesting that I'd cheated to get my grade. A graduate student would now grade my tests, quizzes, and anything else. The following Friday found me helping out with Merlin's other classes, Places in Arthurian Legends and Analysis of Arthurian Tales, while a small duffle bag of clothes and school books rested in his office. I was going to spend the weekend at his house to test the Knights and myself as well as spend time with Merlin.

Everyone had gone out Friday night to get their plans done. Merlin and I ordered loads of Chinese and watched some movie. Neither of us could tell which one or what it was about as were too busy making out in between eating. Which is how the others found us when they came back, me straddling Merlin's lap as we kissed each other senseless, or tried to 'suck each other's souls out' as Greg had commented.

Merlin had merely rolled his eyes, put the leftovers in the refrigerator with his magic, and then tucked the two of us into his bed.

I nodded as I finished looking them over.

They looked like my Knights of the Round Table, but it was their fighting skills that I was worried about. None of them fidgeted as I closely examined their rows.

"All right, you lot look good. But can you fight or are you so rusty you'll break if you move?" I questioned.

Kevin (Sir Kay) grinned. "Pardon me for saying so Sire, but we've been sparring once a week since Merlin made us remember. Perhaps it is _you_ who are 'rusty.'"

"Out front Kevin, and bring your sword." I commanded, pulling my own sword free.

He lunged at me once he was free of the group.

I parried and began to toy with him.

Merlin laughed. "Put the boy out of his misery and show him who rules."

I quickly disarmed him and knocked him from his feet. I turned to the others. "If that's the best, I don't want to see the worst. The footwork was shoddy and the grip was too tight. You may be Knights of the Round Table, but first and foremost you are Knights of Camelot. That means you cannot be overconfident. Your skills reflect on Camelot and I will not stand for it to be disgraced. I do not have _years_ to retrain you. We have a little over a _year_ to get back to our best. You think I drove you hard before, what we are going to do now will be making the worst of our past sessions seem like a picnic in the park."

They gulped.

I began calling out orders that sent them running.

Everyone, myself included, was run through their paces. We barely stopped to eat a light lunch.

Merlin joined the fray two hours before we stopped and began using magic.

I, like in our battle at the tournament, was his main opponent.

We toyed with each other before Merlin decided we'd been training enough and disarmed me so he could try to pull me into a kiss.

I turned my head to the side and pushed against him so he couldn't kiss me. "Merlin, I'm sweaty and covered in dirt and dust." I stated as my panting knights seemed to toss their swords aside and collapse in heaps.

"You're beautiful." Merlin returned with a smile.

I rolled my eyes and turned to the rest. "You guys get cleaned up and eat dinner. Make sure you get plenty of sleep. We'll have a half session in the morning to work on footwork."

Pained groans came from them.

"I don't think I can move." Brendon (Bors) moaned.

"She warned us." Lance pointed out.

Gavin, Olivia, Morgause, Morgana, and Mordred stepped off the porch with baskets full of ointments and other medicinal stuff.

"We'll take care of the Knights. You take care of Alys." Gwen told Merlin as she joined the others with her own full basket.

Merlin got us to his room in a blink of an eye where a steaming hot bath waited with thick bubbles on top that smelled of lavender and sandalwood. He help me get my armor, tunic, and chainmail off before gently pushing me towards the changing screen.

I rolled my shoulder as I walked towards it, hissing slightly in pain.

"Shoulder sore?" Merlin asked as he gathered ointments, oils, and soaps.

"Yeah. Been awhile since I last did something like that. It's a good thing I usually go for a run in the mornings or my legs would hurt like hell too." I swore as I had issues taking off my shirt.

"Need help?" Merlin asked.

"No, I have it. Robe?"

An extremely soft dark blue robe rose from a chair to hang in the air so I could put it on. It was long on me and smelt of cedar and Merlin.

I tied it shut and held the sleeve to my nose as I walked towards the tub.

Merlin smiled goofily. "You look good in my robe."

"It's a guy thing. The clothes seem to mark females as theirs." I replied.

We looked at each other for a moment as we stood next to the tub before I sighed and untied the robe belt. It was obvious I was going to have to go naked in front of Merlin, something that made me nervous since I'd never been naked around a guy without a wall or door between us. It was something left over from my childhood since I wasn't in the best of shape before I hit puberty and sprung up.

Merlin helped me into the bath, his blue eyes a darker blue.

A blissful sigh left me as the hot water hit my sore spots.

Merlin sat down on the floor by the tub, pulled the hair tie from my hair, and set about washing my hair with the bar of herbal soap he'd made after wetting my hair.

I closed my eyes and must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, I was leaning back against Merlin's bare chest as we relaxed in a hot bath with no bubbles.

"Don't worry, I'm wearing swim trunks. Olivia warned me that while you had dated a few guys, you never slept with them." Merlin told me.

I realized I was in a pair of swim trunks and a midriff baring halter top and relaxed. "Thanks."

"I won't force you to do something you've not ready for. And I'd much rather my ring on your finger first."

We just soaked for a little bit before Merlin massaged my shoulder with some of his oils and ointments.

Morgause called up that dinner was almost done so we got out and got dressed.

I fell asleep midway through Monty Python and the Holy Grail after dinner, cuddled into Merlin's side.

Sunday was spent working on footwork and finishing up the grading I had to do.

The same thing happened for the next couple weeks until my trip home. Merlin wanted to go with me, but I just kissed him and said that I wanted some alone time with my family before finals and the holidays, pointing out that Olivia and Gavin weren't even coming like they had the last time. He grumbled but let me go, making me take Sir Sugar Bowl with me. I smiled and did so, knowing that he'd made me do it so he could be sure I was okay since I had made him promise not to scry me just to see if I was all right but not asked him not to scry the sugar bowl.

The weekend was spent discussing everything as a family and just enjoying each other's company.

Sparring with the Knights stopped before finals, though Morgana was putting them their paces in my absence.

Merlin and I didn't get to see each other much during finals week as he was busy finishing up his tests and I was busy studying, grading my students' finals, and tweaking my thesis paper which I had been working on since the start of my junior year of my undergraduate days. The most we got to see of each other was a quick lunch or a brief kiss on cheeks or lips when we saw each other on campus.

Nigel tried to start a rumor that I was sleeping with Merlin for my grade, but it was quickly squashed by the large number of people who had seen and heard Merlin talking and explaining our relationship to the Deans. That and a few of the Knights showed up one day to have a talk with Nigel after Olivia had casually mentioned his days of stalking me. He gave me _wide_ berth after that, more than he had when Merlin had rescued me at the Faire.

I collapsed on the battered couch in Merlin's office once the madness was over and my thesis handed off to the Dean. "Yay, I can actually _sleep_ now."

Merlin chuckled as he finished grading the tests from my class period.

I ignored him and closed my eyes.

"What are your plans for Christmas Break?" he asked before I could fall asleep on the actually very comfy couch.

"Spend a week with the Knights, go home and do the gift exchange with my family, and then go with Liv and Gav on our annual trip. The dart landed on the U.K. this year. Thought we might sneak off to Wales for a day or two. We'll be back after New Year's Day." I answered.

"Would you mind if I went with you? You three could save money by staying at my house and using the jet I own," he suggested. "And I'd like to introduce you to the Royal Family."

I laughed. "I forgot, you're filthy rich after living for so long. I don't mind but you'll have to ask the other two."

He sent off a text and returned to his grading.

I yawned and fell asleep.

-SPACE-

London was great.

The week with the Knights went quickly and was tiring. They had improved and I was pretty sure we'd be more than ready for what might come by the time it came around.

The early Christmas with my family was fun, though the last minute gift my aunts and mother had got me (a lacy blue silk nightie) made me blush. They told me to put it to good use.

Merlin tried to sneak a peek, but I shoved the lid back on the box and then sat on it before he could see. The box was then shoved to the back of my closet before we left.

Merlin's home on the edge of London was actually a large manor house on sprawling grounds.

He laughed and shut my mouth with a finger.

Gavin whistled. "You did good for yourself Merlin. Very nice."

"Thank you. Let's go get settled in shall we?' He led the way inside.

Gavin and Olivia took one room where the view of the city was.

Merlin led me to the largest master bedroom I'd ever seen. "I've never slept here. Back when I kept servants instead of having a cleaning staff, they thought it a little odd that the master of the house refused to sleep in the master bedroom or allow anyone else to sleep there."

"You left it for me, or rather the Arthur you thought you'd find." I hugged him. "You can stay here too. I sleep better with you around. My dreams don't bother me."

"Will you wear this to bed then?" He held up the nightie I had stuffed in my closet with a teasing grin.

I blushed. "Just for that you can go find your own room."

He tossed the nightie on the bed and hugged me close. "Joking. You know what I realized during finals? You and I haven't gone on a date yet."

I leaned into him. "And what are you going to do about that?"

"How would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight? I know this lovely little Indian place not too far from here. It's a bit fancy but has a dance floor and the best Indian food you've ever had."

"Hmm, I dunno. What's going to be for dessert?"

"There's this hole-in-the-wall chocolate shop run by a family from Belgium. It's two blocks over from the Indian place and it delivers. How would you like some dark chocolate covered fruit and whipped cream?"

"I say you've got yourself a date. How long do I have? I'd like to get a different outfit besides the one I brought for our meeting with the Royal Family."

He gave me an Eskimo kiss as he spoke. "You take a nap and I'll handle everything. Including your outfit."

I yawned, jet lag catching up to me. "All right. But you get a little sleep yourself."

"I will." He tucked me under the covers and left the room.

A few hours later I woke refreshed and went to find Merlin.

Gavin and Olivia had gone out, leaving a note that they'd be gone for dinner.

Merlin was dead to the world, sprawled out on the couch in the sitting room.

I smiled as I covered him with the blanket on the back of the couch and softly stole a kiss.

The doorbell rang and a tall man with tons of garment bags in hand stood there when I opened the door.

His deep brown, almost golden eyes looked me over as he tossed his neon green dyed hair from his face.

"You must be Alys, Falcon's girl," he commented.

"I am. And you are?" I asked as I let him in.

"Arthur, but everyone calls me Dragon. Merlin was a member of my band when I was a teen. I owed him some favors since he helped me get started in the fashion world. He asked me to bring some of the Pendragon line for you to try, some of the originals that no one else has," he explained.

"Wait, Arthur as in Arthur de Voughe?" I asked.

He smirked. "You've heard of me."

I laughed. "My friend loves your stuff. She has at least three of your outfits from the Gemstone line."

He ushered me upstairs. "Well you can make her jealous by telling her you've met me and showing her that you have a few one-of-a-kind, impossible-to-get dresses. Few people have seen these and only one person will own them. Now hurry. Your reservations are for seven. We only have three hours to get you clean and ready. And Merlin's told me about your hate of going nude around men. You have no need for it with me. I'm gay and women do _nothing_ for me."

I was bustled into a bath, scrubbed to within an inch of my life, and then treated like a dress up doll.

Dragon and I eventually settled on a dark purple dress made of such light fabric that it felt like I was naked. It was off the shoulders a little and hugged my torso like a second skin before becoming a long flowing skirt. The front of the sleeves fell to my wrists, but the backs fell past my fingertips.

Dragon 'hmmn'-ed thoughtfully before pulling out a small makeup box and doing my makeup.

As he pulled my now curly hair into an up-do, I asked what instrument Merlin had played in his band.

"Merlin can play any instrument you give him, but he played guitar the most when he was part of my band. I'll be sure to get you a copy of our songs. Merlin wrote a few, and now that I think about a couple of them, they were written for you."

"You know who he really is, don't you?" I asked.

Dragon finished my hair, weaving purple ribbons and what I was positive were real diamonds and amethysts among the tresses, and turned his attention to the selection of shoes he'd brought with him. "That he's actually the most powerful warlock to ever exist? Yes I know. Don't tell him this, but _I_ am the reincarnation of the Great Dragon. I remembered shortly after I met him, but I never told him. I don't appreciate being bossed around." He handed me a pair of black strappy heels.

"Trust me, your secret is safe with me." I swore.

He chuckled. "I've found that if someone says 'trust me,' you probably shouldn't. But I know you'll keep your word."

I put the heels on and stood up. "Merlin used to go to you for advice. Is there any you could give me?"

He put a lavender silk wrap on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. He suddenly looked ancient and his eyes shined with wisdom beyond even Merlin's. "Trust in what you know and know that if you fall, you will always have someone there to catch you. You will do well. You will do very well."

There came a knock on the door.

"May I come in, or have I been banished?" Merlin called through the door.

"Your outfit is in your usual room. And no peeking at Alys!" Dragon called back.

Merlin grumbled something and moved away.

Dragon winked at me. "He's already dressed. Count to one hundred and then go to the top of the stairs." He left the room.

I did so and had to smile with Merlin trailed off in the middle of his sentence as he looked up at me.

He took my hand when I reached the bottom of the stairs and kissed it. "You are absolutely breathtaking."

I blushed slightly. "Thanks. You look good too."

And he did, wearing black dress pants, a crisp white shirt under a black suit jacket, a dark purple tie, and polished black dress shoes. He was the picture of male elegance.

A flash got our attention and Dragon grinned at us.

"You think I can convince you two to become models for my newest line?" he asked cheekily, holding a camera.

I laughed. "Play your cards right and you can design my wardrobe."

He put a hand over his heart. "Be still my rapidly beating heart. Now off with you two. Your reservations are in half an hour. And I'll be sure to get you what I promised you, Alys." He ushered us out the door where a purring black car was waiting behind Dragon's beat up looking BMW Beetle.

The driver opened the back door. "Miss Penn, Dr. Emrys." He tipped his hat to me.

Merlin thanked him by name as he helped me into the car.

"I'm not used to this fancy treatment, you know." I commented.

Merlin chuckled as the car started moving. "You were raised differently this time. But that will just lead to a better kingdom than before."

The restaurant was fancier than Merlin had led me to believe, but the food was entirely worth it.

While my dress seemed rather plain compared to those worn by the other women there, I was the most noticeable person there. And I was surprised to find that Merlin had become a champion dancer over the years.

I just shook my head when he told me about his stint as a dance champion in the years before World War II. "I don't know why I'm surprised. No doubt you took every single insult I gave you back then and became so good at it that I'd be hard pressed to find _something_ to insult."

"Well I had a lot of time on my hands. And you know that me and boredom is a far worse mix than you and boredom."

I laughed. "True." I ran my fingers over the soft fabric of his suit jacket. "When we get married, I would much rather prefer you in the outfit you wore when we _first_ met. You still have it don't you?"

He smiled. "It's a little threadbare, but easily fixed. And don't you mean 'if' we get married?"

I laid my head on his shoulder and moved closer. "I'm going to need a Consort, Merlin. And I can think of no one else I'd rather spend the rest of my life with.'

He leaned his head down to whisper in my ear. "I love you."

I pulled back to look him in the eyes. "I love you too Merlin. I think I'm ready for dessert now."

We swept off the dance floor and back to the waiting car that took us back to the manor.

Dragon had put the chocolate covered fruit and fresh whipped cream in the fridge and iced down a bottle of champagne.

Olivia and Gavin came in an hour later as we were putting the leftovers away.

Olivia gushed over my dress. "It's beautiful Alys! Where'd you get it?"

I grinned. "Merlin called in a favor and the creator himself brought it over and helped me get ready. And my dress is truly one-of-a-kind as I am the only person to own one."

"Who made it?" she questioned, fingering the fabric.

"Well his friends call him Dragon. You might know him better as Arthur."

Her mouth fell open as the fabric slipped from her fingers.

"Arthur? Arthur de Voughe? You met Arthur de Voughe?" she shrieked.

"Yep." I yawned. "Well I'm off to bed. See you in the morning." I left Olivia sputtering in the kitchen and went to Merlin and I's room.

Merlin was dressed in flannel pajama pants and a white T-shirt and stretched out on his side of the bed when I walked out of the bathroom.

I put my robe over the back of a chair and climbed under the blankets on my side.

Merlin groaned and closed his eyes. "You're tempting my self-control wearing that."

I laid my head on his shoulder. "I have faith in you and your self-control."

"You're wearing that most becoming nightie your mother and aunts got you. I thought you didn't like it."

"It's embarrassing that they got it for me, but you took me on a date and didn't ask for anything in return. So I thought I'd do something you'd like."

He stole a kiss. "And like it I do. But I worry about what I might do in the middle of the night."

"You won't do anything I'm not ready for."

His eyes flashed gold and the lights went out.

-SPACE-

Our meeting with the Royal Family was actually rather relaxed.

They believed Merlin and quizzed me on my past and my plans for the future.

Merlin showed his possessive jealous side when the youngest prince flirted with me. He only settled when I snuggled into his side and laced our fingers together.

Christmas and New Year's passed joyously and then we were back on Maine soil, ready for the Spring Semester.

Merlin and I went on a few more dates, a few with the others as a group.

The Knights improved every time we trained, and I was sure we were going to be ready for the coming December.


	6. Welcome Home to Camelot

Chapter 6: Welcome Home to Camelot

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

* * *

><p>Everyone crowded around the television in Merlin's living room, waiting for the announcement about the appearance of Excalibur in the stone to be made.<p>

I was sitting on Merlin's lap, eyes fixed on the screen.

The others were chatting when the story came on.

Merlin and I shushed them.

"The British government has announced the strange appearance of a sword in a stone in the English countryside. British experts have been studying the sword and stone since it first appeared before Thanksgiving," the news anchor stated. "More experts are being flown in from all over the world to further study the sword. So far experts are calling the sword by the name engraved in runes on the blade just under the hilt guard, Excalibur. People are saying that this is a sign that King Arthur existed and is about to return."

"A day late and a dollar short!" Leon called at the television. "Arthur is already back. She's sitting on Merlin's lap."

I rolled my eyes. "We already know this, Leon. And they'll know it soon enough, so chill."

He grinned cheekily at me. "Yes Sire."

I stuck my tongue out at me.

Merlin chuckled and drew me into a kiss. "Everything is going to be just fine, Alys. You _are_ Arthur, and I'm going to be with you every step of the way. Everything will work out the way it's supposed to. Don't worry," he whispered in my ear.

I smiled at him and ran my fingers over his face. "I know. I love you, Merlin."

"Oh get a room you two! Bad enough we have to see the three 'Mor's making out most days; don't need our image of our king and her greatest advisor and pet warlock to be shattered." Greg told us. "Unless you two are wanting others to join in," he tacked on with a leer.

"Shut up Gwaine." Merlin and I told him in unison before Merlin's eyes flashed gold.

I laughed when I found myself in a relaxing hot bath with Merlin.

-SPACE-

I paced nervously outside the room that contained the Dean of Liberal Arts, the Dean of the whole college, and four other people, five if you counted Merlin.

Because we were seeing each other, he was going to have to leave when it was my turn before the panel.

I tugged a nonexistent wrinkle from my dress shirt as the door opened to allow Merlin and David Smith, a classmate of mine, to exit.

David looked a little depressed. He gave me a nod and walked off.

"Your turn. Just think of it as a council meeting from right after you were crowned. You'll do great." Merlin told me quietly as he gently pushed me towards the door.

I nodded, took a deep breath to gather my confidence, and stepped through the door to part of my future.

It shut with an ominous 'click,' reminding me of the first meeting so long ago with the advisors of Camelot. Just as I did then, before I changed the world by making magic legal, I realized that this was _my_ domain and no one, especially the six older people sitting before me, was going to stop me from getting what I wanted.

I held my head high as I walked over to the chair that I was to sit in.

It was uncomfortable, but I'd sat in worse as King Arthur. Mostly when Merlin was first conjuring furniture from thin air.

The other door to the room opened and Professor Gary Davenport hurried over to sit in what had to be Merlin's vacated seat.

He smiled at me. "I'm not surprised to see you in that seat Miss Penn. I always knew you'd go far."

I smiled back. "Thank you, Professor Davenport. I only got here because of good teachers like you. And it's good to see you again sir."

The Dean of Camelot University cleared her throat. "Welcome Miss Penn. You have a rather interesting thesis."

"Thank you, ma'am." I replied.

"Why don't you sum it up for us?" the man to her left requested.

So began the dissection and close examination of my thesis…and my relationship with Merlin, though that was done extremely subtly.

An hour and twenty minutes later, I shook their hands and then left through the door I'd entered.

Merlin had been leaning against the wall and staring at the floor while he was waiting, but he looked up and straightened as I shut the door after me. "Alys?"

I threw myself into his waiting arms. "I did it!" I breathed.

He laughed and spun us around. "I knew you would."

I pulled away, letting my happiness show. "But that's not all. They _loved_ my thesis and actually moved it up to the dissertation group because of how well-written and proven it was. And because of my grades and the amount of credits I have, they aren't just giving me a Master's Degree, but a Ph.D. as well. I'll be the first person to get one from the program they'd just been allowed to do last fall."

Merlin threw his head back and laughed. "This is wonderful Alys. And very much cause for celebration."

I kissed him deeply, then drew back. "You handle texting everyone so they can adjust the 'surprise' party you'd already planned. And let them know I'm _still_ recovering from the wild party they threw for my birthday."

"Yes Alys." He pulled out his cell phone and began to send off texts.

Gary Davenport met us outside the building and drew me into a hug. "Congratulations Alys."

"Thank you." I hugged him in return and then stepped back into Merlin's embrace.

"Your paper blew me away. I've never read one like it. And with the appearance of the sword in the stone in the U.K., well it was positively amazing." He turned to Merlin. "You take good care of her, Emrys. She's a real gem."

Merlin gave me a quick squeeze and shook Davenport's hand. "I know. And I have no plans to let her get away."

Davenport laughed and bid us goodbye.

My parents were at Merlin's house with the Knights and the others when we got there.

The party went long into the night and Merlin carried me up to bed when I started falling asleep on his shoulder.

-SPACE-

The Graduation Ceremony took place a couple weeks after finals were done, and I swore I had the largest group of people there.

My parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents were there along with all my Court as Merlin and I had come to call all the Knights, Morgana, Morgause, Mordred, Gwen, the Knights' significant others, Gavin, and Olivia.

When it was my turn to get my diploma (and I was last of all because of my circumstances), Merlin kissed me so deeply instead of shaking my hand that a couple of the Knights ran up to help me make my shaking way down the stairs. This caused a few laughs, but was totally worth it.

We all went out for dinner afterwards and had a good time.

Isolde had quickly become the darling of my Court and chatted to everyone over dinner.

Summer happened after that and was spent training, spending time with my family, and doing some relaxing. It seemed to pass rather quickly and the anniversary of Alys Penn's first meeting of Dr. Merlin Emrys came up.

Merlin made me dinner and we danced under the stars in the backyard, ignoring the teasing and laughter of those in the house at the time.

I had been employed as Merlin's assistant and helped out teaching his classes, so I was kept busy since Merlin was a rather tough taskmaster (something I really hadn't noticed as his student since I enjoyed the subject).

The day before Thanksgiving, the day Merlin and I considered our actual anniversary, Olivia, Morgana, Morgause, Gwen, and a couple of the other girls dragged me out of the house after breakfast and made me spend the day shopping in Machias and then going to the local spa in Esterton.

I had a great time and was convincing the others that _all_ of us women needed a Girls' Day Out before we ended up in England when I walked into the house to find Merlin standing in the hallway.

He was dressed in the outfit he'd worn when he first met me when I was Arthur and looked a little nervous.

I put the two bags I had on the floor, stopping midsentence to walk over to him. "Merlin? What's wrong? Do we need to leave for home early?"

He took my hands and kissed the backs of them. "No, we don't have to leave early. We're still set for the first week of break."

"Then what's wrong?" I searched his face for an answer.

He grinned his wide and idiotic smile and stepped back.

Tiny little dragons made of fire began to fly around me.

I laughed, knowing that even if I were to touch the fire, it would not burn me. I loved the feel of Merlin's magic, trying to get him to use it on me every chance I could.

Among the red and orange was a flash of pale silvery gold.

The gold dragon separated from the rest and wrapped itself around my left ring finger.

I brought my hand up to look at it.

It was a highly detailed dragon made of white gold and held a nice sized deep blue diamond in its jaws.

The other dragons turned into red roses and fell about my feet.

I looked up at Merlin. "Merlin?"

He took my left hand and ran his thumb over the ring. "I love you, Alys. I want to call you mine and help you as more than just an advisor. Marry me, please."

I smiled smugly as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "You had better make yourself a crown Merlin, because my Royal Consort, my husband, is _not_ going to go without one. And just so you know, this is me saying yes."

He chuckled, eyes flashing gold as my crown appeared on my head and a matching one in silver appeared on Merlin's head. "Prat."

"Idiot." I returned fondly.

The house exploded into cheers and generally noisy chaos as Merlin and I kissed.

I pulled away and stood up on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear. "What say you to you and I escaping this ruckus and celebrating our engagement privately?'

His blue eyes darkened.

"What did you have in mind?" he asked just as softly.

I turned to the others. "We will celebrate this event tomorrow. At the moment I am going to play the 'Royalty' card and not share Merlin with the lot of you. And whoever disturbs us before dawn, depending on if they are a knight or not, will either be the Royal Stock Inspector or some other horrid fate I can think of. Night all." I grabbed my two bags, took Merlin's hand, and dragged him up the stairs with the hoots and catcalls of the others following us.

-SPACE-

Three hours later, Merlin woke from his doze and looked at me.

"You know, for a virgin, you know quite a bit about drawing out pleasure." Merlin commented hoarsely.

I let my smugness show and leaned over to kiss him. "Thank my wild days as Prince of Camelot. I was rather wild as a teen and before you came to Camelot."

He chuckled as I moved back to just laying beside him with my head on my fist and drawing random patterns on his chest with my fingers. "I can believe that."

I smiled, enjoying the sight of Merlin just in his crown with a sheet just barely covering his hips. I wore just my crown, the black satin and lace underwear set Morgana and Morgause had made me wear when we dressed when we were finished getting pampered at the spa (something Merlin _really_ liked), and a pair of socks.

Merlin hummed in contentment as I began lightly peppering his jaw and neck with kisses and soft nips. "As much as I'm enjoying this, I don't think it's fair that I'm getting all the pleasure."

I straddled his stomach. "But you aren't. I'm getting my share of it too. Besides, it's past time I've done something for you. Since magic is legal, I can't do much. Allow me to show my gratitude in one of the only ways I can." I gave his collarbone a sharp nip as I felt the tingle of his magic begin to wash over me. "No magic Merlin. You can have control on our wedding night."

His breathing started to shallow.

"And I'm keeping count of how many orgasms you're ahead by and you owe me that many when you get control." I warned before starting to kiss my way down his chest.

"You are a wonderful, gorgeous, but evil woman," he panted.

"Shut up _Mer_lin. And just _feel_." I shot him a heated look before pulling the sheet over my head.

"_Alys_!"

-SPACE-

I skipped down the stairs the next morning, dressed in a pair of worn jeans and one of Merlin's T-shirts.

Those that were up stared at me in shock.

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Mordred pushed a glass of orange juice across the counter of the island at me. "We weren't expecting either of you until dinner."

I rolled my eyes as I took a drink of it. "_I_ was the one _giving_ the pleasure. We didn't have the type of sex you lot are thinking of. That's for _after_ the wedding." I glanced at the ceiling. "Though I think I might have turned Merlin into a boneless mass of goo."

Brittany, Galahad's girlfriend, laughed. "Way to go Alys!"

Morgause and Olivia (who had _just_ started on her first cup of coffee of the day and wasn't very awake) leaned towards me.

"Was he loud?" Morgause asked.

"Yeah Lys, whazz he like?" Olivia added.

I grinned, rather pleased with myself as I thought about the night before. "All I'm going to say on the subject is that I found out that if you torture him long enough, he starts talking, begging, and pleading in the language of the Old Religion."

This caused bouts of laughter.

Leon shuffled into the kitchen yawning, hair sticking up in all directions and blue boxers slung low on his hips. He saw me and blinked a few times. "Nice to see you up. You might want to call your mother. She called last night, but you were _busy_. And knowing you as I do, I wasn't about to disturb you."

"Thanks Leon." I grabbed the cordless and dialed Mom's cell phone, knowing that she and Dad would already be at Aunt Laudine and Uncle Mark's house.

Mom answered after the second ring. "Hello?"

"Hi Mom. Leon said you'd called last night." I stated.

"Alys, sweetheart! Here, let me put you on speaker and you can tell me, your aunts, and your grandmothers all about it," she gushed, doing just that.

I looked at my ring. "I take it you know that Merlin proposed then."

"Of course we do! Merlin drove all the way here yesterday and spent two hours holed up in the garage with your father, uncles, and grandfathers. And we all saw the ring he'd made just for you." Mom replied.

There was a sound of pots and pans being placed on the counter after someone said it was me on the phone.

"How'd he propose?" Aunt Laudine asked.

"Did he whisk you off to Italy and a magic gondola ride?" Aunt Anna questioned.

"No. He did something better. He was dressed in the outfit he wore when we first met way-back-when in Camelot and was standing in the front hall when I came in from my Girls' Day Out shopping and visiting the spa. He looked so nervous that I thought something was wrong or we were going to have to leave for England early." I began grabbing pots and pans of my own. "And the next thing I know, I'm surrounded by flying dragons made of flame with a flash of gold among them. He'd animated the ring and it wrapped itself around my finger. The other dragons turned into roses and then he takes my hand and says 'marry me, please.' So of course I said yes."

"You did remember to use protection didn't you? I know how some are just caught up in the excitement and forget." Mom stated blandly.

"Mom!" I was honestly shocked. I dropped the pan I was holding.

"What? I just want my little girl to be careful, even if she is King Arthur returned. I think it's a bit much to add a pregnancy to your already full plate," she returned.

"This from the woman who was two and a half months gone on her own wedding day." I replied.

"I'll have you know that I wasn't aware until four months that I was pregnant with you. And your father and I had been dating for five years by then, trying for a child for three of those years. You didn't give me morning sickness until the last trimester, nor did you really make your presence known until five months."

I rolled my eyes. "So I've been told countless times. But I didn't _sleep_ with Merlin last night."

"Then what were you doing last night that made even your bravest knights and members of your Court afraid to disturb you?" Mom asked.

"Probably not playing Gin Rummy!" Mawmaw Mary called out.

"Or chess!" Grandma Ruth cackled.

"For your information, I was busy reducing _him_ to a quivering, pleading, magical mass of Old Religion goo. And why is everyone suddenly so interested in my love-life? And should I be worried about Daddy showing up on the doorstep, trying to kill Merlin for 'defiling his little girl'?"

"No, don't worry about that. We've successfully cowed the men into behaving. And we're so interested because you finally have one worth talking about." Aunt Laudine explained.

"Seriously, the five of you are gossiping biddies. I'd like to talk to Viviane or Issy now. At least then I can have an actual conversation instead of being teased."

"Viviane is busy mooning over the boy she likes, but Isolde's been wanting to speak with you." Aunt Anna told me.

Isolde's sweet voice was on the line a minute later.

"You're gonna marry Merlin, right Alys?" she asked.

I smiled. "Yes Issy, I'm going to marry Merlin."

"I can be in your wedding, right?"

"And you will be the prettiest flower girl ever. You can help me pick out your dress."

She cheered. "I can't wait. Aunt Igraine is making your dessert, but it won't be the same."

"I know sweetheart. And I'd love to be there with you all, but I want to get in a couple more practice sessions before we leave in two weeks." I started gathering ingredients, smiling as Mordred and a few of the girls moved to do the same.

"You're not going to forget us when you're a king again are you?"

"Of course not! I'd never do something like that. And all of you will be welcome in Camelot whenever and for as long as you wish." I assured her.

"Okay Alys. I'll let you go so you can cook. Tell Merlin I said hi."

"I will." I hung up after she did. I put the phone on the charger. "Well let's get this feast started."

-SPACE-

Merlin finally dragged himself out of bed and downstairs just as I put the finishing touches on my signature dessert and a couple other dishes. He wrapped himself around me and dropped a kiss at the juncture of my neck.

"Well look who the cat dragged in." Morgana teased.

Merlin shot her a glare.

I squeezed his hand where it lay around my waist. "Issy says hi."

He chuckled lightly. "Leon said you'd called your mother back. And that they seemed to tease you."

"It's just one of the many services my female relatives offer. And don't worry about my dad or other male relatives showing up to try and kill you. Mom and them have scared them out of trying anything." I told him.

"Remind me to thank them later. I don't think I can handle another night like last night. It took me _ages_ to get enough energy to open my _eyes_." He gave me a slight squeeze.

"Get used to it, because there are many more nights like it in your future. And I fully expect you to join me for any meetings the next day." I warned.

He groaned. "Evil woman. But I still love you for some reason."

"And I love you. Now go sit down at the table. Dinner's almost finished."

He turned me around and kissed me deeply.

I had to hold the counter for a moment to get my balance back once he left for the dining room.

The other in the kitchen snickered at me.

I ignored them and started carrying out dishes.

Dinner was a big hit and I wasn't surprised that there were very little to no leftovers considering most of the men eating were knights.

-SPACE-

I mentally went over everything I'd packed, trying to make sure I'd gotten everything. I squeaked and threw my arms around Merlin's neck when he snatched me up so he could settle in my seat with me on his lap.

Because we had a large number of people, we couldn't take Merlin's jet so we were all sitting in the airport in Augusta and waiting for our flight.

"Stop stressing Alys. We have everything. And if we don't, I can conjure it up real quick." Merlin told me.

I sighed and laid my head on his shoulder. "I can't help it. You know how I am. You could distract me you know."

"And how should I do that my liege?" he teased.

"Sing me one of your songs." I'd fallen in love with the music he'd created as part of Dragon's band after Dragon had sent me a CD shortly after we'd returned to the States.

Merlin chuckled. "You're not going to stop asking me to sing to you until I do, are you?"

"Not even then. You weave a spell when you sing and I love it."

Our flight was announced before he could start, and Merlin thanked the gods under his breath.

"I'll get you to sing at some point." I warned him as we all grabbed our carry-on stuff.

He just smiled and ushered me towards the boarding gate before him.

At some point during our long flight, Merlin leaned over and began to softly sing in my ear that wasn't pressed into his shoulder.

I fell asleep to his voice creating a world just for him and me, dreaming of what he sang of.

-SPACE-

Two days later found all of us huddled together on a cold and windy stretch of land, standing off to the side as our main opponent and his group stood before the press.

Their leader called himself Arthur Pendragon. His real name was Thomas Goodhurst and he was a real ass.

We'd stumbled across each other the day we arrived in the small town near the stone and he'd automatically began laughing at me and basically degrading everything Camelot ever stood for when he heard that I was going to pull Excalibur free.

I rolled my eyes when he once more went on about how he was Arthur returned.

That group was dressed up gaudily, none more so than 'King Arthur' with jewels and furs dripping from his figure.

I turned my attention to Camelot behind the stone. "You did good fixing and protecting Camelot, Merlin. Thank you for taking care of it for me."

Merlin hugged me closer to his side. "It's our home. I had to do it."

"Our home is wherever the other is." I sighed, looking over the well known towers, balconies, and the rest.

Only Merlin and I could actually see Camelot.

I frowned as Goodhurst's 'Merlin' finished doing a 'purification ceremony' on the sword and stone. "Merlin, did you make the stone unbreakable?"

"No."

"Do it and quick. I think he's going to try and cheat with his '_Merlin_ the Magician's' help."

Merlin's eyes flashed gold.

"Done. Nothing can break the rock. And the sword is one with the stone, so only you can pull it free."

Goodhurst finished his speech and walked over to the sword. He began tugging at it.

It refused to budge and the press began to snicker as his face turned red, and they laughed when he fell over from turning to forcefully pull it free.

My group was silent. We knew the truth.

Goodhurst and his group was ushered away by the officials, who also undid whatever it was that his 'Merlin' had done.

I sighed as I tugged my jeans up a little more and separated myself from Merlin.

My group was all dressed casually and watched as I made my way towards the stone and Excalibur.

I said nothing to the press, just took hold of the hilt.

_Who are you?_ a voice that was both genders and all ages questioned in my mind.

_I am Arthur Pendragon, but I am also Alys Penn._

_What is your certainty?_

I looked at Merlin and smiled. _I love and am loved by my soul-mate, Merlin Emrys._

The sword slid free and Camelot appeared behind me.

* * *

><p>AN: Two more chapters after this and it's done.


	7. Coronations, a Wedding, and…Tragedy!

Chapter 7: Coronations, a Wedding, and…Tragedy?

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

* * *

><p>An outburst came from Goodhurst and his group.<p>

"No! It is impossible! _I_ am King Arthur!" Goodhurst yelled, trembling with rage.

Excalibur hummed in my hand, a warning hum that was loud enough for all to hear.

"Why don't we see for whom the gates of Camelot open?" I suggested coolly.

He stormed over to the gates with his entourage and commanded them to push open the gates.

The gates refused to budge.

I walked past them all as they panted from exertion, laid both hands on the gates as I still held Excalibur, and gave a gentle push.

The gates opened without so much as a squeak.

I turned to face Goodhurst and his group. "Your greed will not get you far. You defile the name of Pendragon and everything Camelot, the Round Table, and a united Albion stand for."

From some hidden pocket in his voluminous and gaudy robes, Goodhurst pulled out a gun and pointed it at me.

Merlin was at my side in less than half a heartbeat, his powers swirling around him.

Goodhurst dropped the gun as the grip grew hot and swore colorfully.

I laid a hand on Merlin's shoulder as he began to speak a spell. "Let him be, Merlin. As before, all I want is peace. You've stopped him. Nothing more needs done."

Merlin looked at me. "But…"

I shook my head. "It is not how I wish to start off my second reign." I smiled at him. "Besides, I'm sure this place needs airing out and I'd like to get that done _before_ we completely relocate ourselves."

He sighed and took my hand, letting his powers subside. "Prat," he said fondly.

"But I'm _your_ prat, just as you are _my_ idiot." I turned towards the castle.

Merlin spun me around to face him. "You're forgetting something." He placed my crown on my head.

I rolled my eyes. "All right, you've crowned me _again_. Can we go get started now?"

He stole a quick kiss the press didn't see. "Yes."

I looked at the others. "Come on you lot. We've got lots to do and a short time to do it in." I tugged Merlin along after me as I strode to my long ago home.

The press followed us, recording everything and shouting out questions that I refused to answer.

Camelot actually didn't look that bad besides a little dust.

Merlin soon had a verifiable army of brooms, mops, buckets, and dusting cloths at work to fix that.

"You can do this and here I've been moping and sweeping and doing other chores the hard way all my life." I commented as we made our way to where the Round Table stood, passing a group of brooms.

"Builds character to do them yourself." Merlin replied.

"Maybe you should have tried doing it yourself more often back when you were my manservant." I teased.

He grinned. "If I'd done all the chores you gave me without magic, I'd _still_ be doing them and you would have died as Arthur long before you were crowned and Albion would still be a bunch of squabbling kingdoms."

I laughed.

Several dust rags were hard at work cleaning the Table and the twenty-six chairs around it when we entered the Council Room.

Hanging on the back of my chair was Excalibur's rather plain-looking scabbard, still made of gold with two large rubies inlaid in it on either side.

My twenty-five Knights all took their seats around the Table.

For just a moment it felt as if no time had passed since last we were in this room.

With a small smile, I placed Excalibur on the Table and took a seat in my chair as Merlin pulled it out for me.

Gasps came from those who had followed inside as the sun broke through the dark clouds that had been hanging around and shined down on us brighter than any winter sun was supposed to.

Merlin stood just behind me to my right and placed a hand on my shoulder.

I covered it with my left hand, aware that my ring sparkled in the light, and addressed the people before me. "My name is Alys Penn. There is only one thing I want, the same thing I wanted as Arthur Pendragon over a thousand years ago: peace. I am not the same as I was so long ago, nor will I ever be. The world has changed and requires different things than it did then. In these times there is very little a sword, even one such as Excalibur, can do. I have no wish to tell the world's countries how they should be run. I and my Court are merely here to arbitrate and ensure that fairness, freedom, and justice are upheld."

The press instantly began shouting out questions.

Morgause, wonderful woman and military leader that she was, instantly took them all in hand. "Quiet! One at a time." She pointed to a man in a brown overcoat over a charcoal grey suit. "You, ask your question and be quick. There's other stuff to do yet."

He swallowed sharply, cowed by her. He recovered nicely when I gave him all my attention and a comforting smile. "Alex Reynolds of the London Times. From your speech Miss Penn, it appears that you aren't calling yourself ruler of the world, correct?"

"No Mr. Reynolds, I am not taking that title. Personally I believe that it is a title no one should hold. My one goal is to get the world's countries working and living together peacefully and in harmony. I know what it's like to look after a country, having ruled the kingdom of Camelot and then the entirety of Albion. That was stressful enough and I have no desire to drive myself into an early grave trying to personally manage dozens of countries." I answered.

Morgause pointed at another. "Lady with the blue scarf."

"Tonya Harding, CNN correspondent. How do you plan to achieve this goal, especially where so many have tried before you and failed?"

"Through diplomacy mostly. I want to personally meet with the world's leaders and spend some time among the common people so that I can best understand their needs so well-informed decisions can be made that will benefit everyone. A little over a year ago, I was just a woman from the small town of Pikerly, Maine who had always had dreams of things I couldn't explain and was attending Camelot University to get a degree in Mythology and Folklore with a specialization in Arthurian Legend. I know what it's like to be just another face in the crowd and it's the everyday person that moves the world."

There were a few more questions after that until Morgause had decided I'd been pestered enough.

"Last question. Lady in the green silk blouse."

The woman didn't introduce herself or say what media she was from, just started in on her question. "This is going to move you to the top of the most eligible bachelorette list. What are you going to do and do you prefer someone from the 'common people' or someone of nobler blood? Because there are a few Princes, or Princesses for that matter, who are unmarried."

I felt Merlin's jealousy start to stir and gave his hand a squeeze, making sure to press my ring against his fingers to remind him that I had already chosen him. "I prefer someone I can trust with my life and will trust me with their own in return, someone who has faced hardship but not let it overcome them. In fact, I've already found someone and I love him dearly. And I pity anyone who tries to snatch me away, for not only do they face the impossible task of changing my mind, but it would be a miracle if I'm able to stop my fiancé from doing something to them." I smiled up at Merlin. "He has a well known habit of not following orders, even when he was a manservant and trying to hide his magic when the use of it was illegal."

This caused even more questions until Morgana got their attention and began taking them on a tour.

"The one place I can't show you is Merlin's tower. I'm afraid that you have to be invited by Merlin to enter. The only other person always allowed entry is Alys," she commented as she walked backwards from the room.

The press followed after her obediently and Mordred and Morgause ushered along the stragglers.

I waved away the others. "Go do whatever you wish. For the moment, there's nothing that needs to be done."

They dispersed to go do whatever they wished.

I sighed and relaxed my posture once the last of them were gone.

Merlin picked up Excalibur and slid it into its scabbard. "Do you want to go see the rest of Camelot?"

I stood up. "I want to go somewhere I can relax and not be disturbed. I'm used to attention, but not that much."

He tucked the scabbard under his arm his arm and offered me his other one.

We walked up to his tower and shut ourselves in it without being seen.

Excalibur and my crown were placed on a worktable and I looked around while Merlin walked to a wall of shelves.

"So, not the same are you?" he teased, starting to pull out books and scrolls.

"Well of course not. Firstly, I'm a woman if you haven't noticed. And times are way different." I replied.

He chuckled and snagged me about the waist after putting what he held on a table. "Oh I noticed, Dr. Penn. It's very difficult to miss, especially when you go around wearing those lacy underwear sets."

I smiled and put my arms around his neck. "I love you."

"And I you."

We stood there with eyes closed, arms wrapped around each other, and foreheads pressed together for a few minutes.

The door started to open.

"You can't go in, but I can give you a glimpse of it." Morgana's voice stated from the other side, followed by the sounds of the press.

She shrieked in surprise when the door slammed shut on her. "Damn it Merlin! Give some warning!" She slammed a fist on the door.

"Alys wants peace, and peace she'll get. And you didn't ask if they could see my rooms. I have sensitive items in here!" Merlin returned sharply.

"Alys! Make him be nice." commanded Morgana.

"Doesn't follow orders, remember?" I called back.

Merlin's eyes flashed gold and yells came from outside.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"I sent them to the hay stack outside the stables, though Morgana _may_ have landed in the mud."

I laughed.

-SPACE-

It was two days after Christmas and the last of the major world leaders had arrived in Camelot with their entourages.

I was very grateful for all the houses and inns in the town portion of Camelot since there wasn't enough room in the castle for everyone to have their own room.

With a little magic, everything had been adjusted for their comfort.

I was rummaging under the wardrobe in the Royal Bedroom, which Merlin and I shared, trying to find an earring I had dropped and seen roll under it while I was getting ready for the first meeting. I found it…and the Hat.

With a broad grin, I pulled it out, dusted it off, and fluffed the feathers.

Merlin was up in his tower, busy getting back the chaotic mess he called order as he began the usual spells to protect Camelot.

Past experience told me that he would lose track of time and probably come bursting in just as the meeting ended.

I wasn't going to put up with that this time around, so after I put in my earring, I sent him a text containing a picture of the Hat and a warning that he had five minutes to meet me at the doors to the Council Room.

Mordred took the Hat into his safe keeping when I stopped by his, Morgana, and Morgause's room on my way down.

Merlin was waiting by the doors, glaring darkly at my text. "I should have burnt that hat when I had the chance."

"You kept it because you missed me. And you know I'd just call up Dragon and have him make a new hat that's even worse." I took his hand and laced our fingers together.

His expression softened as he put his cell phone in his pocket.

"We need to invite him here anyway. You're going to need a new royal wardrobe."

I looked at him over my glasses. "Still going to buy my jeans at Wal-Mart."

He laughed and opened the door to let us into the room.

There were only a couple other leaders and their aides there, so we greeted them.

The rest followed soon after and so began the first of many migraine-inducing meetings.

-SPACE-

Because of our new positions, Gavin, Olivia, and I weren't going on our usual trip. We were okay with that, but I rather wished for a break.

Merlin flew my family to the U.K. on the twenty-ninth so that we could spend New Year's with them.

It had been agreed that there would be no meetings on New Year's Eve and Day and we of Camelot were expected to throw a party, the plans of which I left in Gwen's more than capable hands so that I could hide with my family after the meetings.

Pawpaw David tossed me a bottle of his homemade herbal pills when I walked into the room. "These are for your new lifestyle. They will help with the stress headaches."

I popped two pills dry right then.

But that had been the night they'd arrived and it was now early in the morning of New Year's Eve.

Merlin and I were lounging on our bed still in our pajamas and I was enjoying one of Merlin's relaxing massages.

The door to our room flew open and Isolde rushed in at top speed to jump onto the bed, followed by Viviane at a more reasonable pace.

"Alys, Alys! Guess what Viviane got!" Isolde exclaimed as Merlin and I relaxed from our defensive positions.

Viviane turned pink and glared at Isolde. "Shut up Issy!"

I sat up. "Hey now, no arguments. The new year is coming, let's not start it off badly."

"Viviane got a _text_ from the boy she likes. And he asked her if she wants to go get pizza with him and go to the _movies_." Isolde told me as she jumped on the bed. "And Viviane doesn't know what to say back."

I snagged her from the air and plopped her on my lap, ticking her as I directed my attention to Viviane. "That true Viv?'

She turned a darker pink and nodded.

Merlin slipped on his slippers and robe. "I'll go see about breakfast, shall I? Leave you to do your girl pow-wow."

I kissed him when he leaned down to do that himself. "And this is just another of the innumerable reasons why I love you."

Merlin snatched Isolde from my clutches. "Come along you. If we're early enough, we'll make chocolate chip pancakes."

She cheered, Viviane wiped from her mind as they shut the door after them.

I patted the bed next to me after putting on my glasses. "Come tell me all about him."

Viviane leaned against the headboard next to me. "Issy and I weren't interrupting anything were we?"

"Door would have been locked if that was the case. So, what's his name?" I got us back to the subject at hand.

She blushed. "Liam Xavier Mortimer."

I smiled. "Liam, eh? Well, what's he like? I can't help you make a decision if I don't know anything about him."

She began to tell me all about Liam Mortimer.

I asked her a few more questions and we decided that she'd give it a shot by the time Merlin returned with a tray of enough food for two just as Viviane left our room.

It was a rather large breakfast I noted as he began to put it on the table after shedding his robe.

He dropped a fork from the tray as he lifted up the little butter dish and bent down to get it.

I walked over to the door. "Breakfast looks delicious. And I know exactly what I want to devour first." I flipped the lock.

He turned to look at me. "Oh really?"

I sauntered my way over to him. "Oh yes. And it is my absolute favorite."

He laughed as I gently pushed him towards the bed.

-SPACE-

The party was wonderful and I was glad I had turned the whole mess over to Gwen. The whole thing was reminiscent of one of the feasts of old but done with more modern elegance and only subtle signs of it actually being focused on Camelot were seen.

It was twenty till midnight when I found myself talking with a few of the female aides. They had asked about my ring and were gushing over it and how Merlin had proposed.

"So have you set a date yet?" one asked.

"Not yet. We've been busy preparing for all this and then all the meetings, so we haven't really had a chance to discuss it." I replied.

"You should probably talk about it soon before some of the leaders get the idea that the engagement is just a ploy so you don't have to marry. And then they'll start pushing sons on you in earnest," another suggested.

I politely excused myself and went hunting for Merlin.

He was deep in discussion with some other aides about his magic and how he still had it in the modern world.

I put a finger to my lips when the aides noticed me. "Really _Mer_lin, do you ever stop prattling on?"

Merlin spun around to face me, a grin in place. "Of course not."

I took his offered arm and smiled fondly at him. "Idiot."

"Prat. Was there something you needed?" he asked.

"Someone brought up the point that someone might see our engagement as a ploy unless we set a date. I was hoping to discuss it with you when you had a minute." I replied.

"Of course. Please excuse us gentlemen." He led us over to a private corner of the room. "When would you like to get married?"

"Would tomorrow be too soon?'

"Not for me, but you know as well as I do that we have quite the number of people to invite. And a full schedule between meetings and our travels to countries."

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Gods, this is going to be a worse headache than the damn meetings." I thought over the schedule we'd come up with.

Taking it and the huge guest list and planning that would have to go into the wedding, the earliest we could get married was in June.

"Midsummer. We'll get married on Midsummer. Not only will we be done with travelling and most of the meetings over with, but it has a magical connection." I tossed out.

"Then Midsummer it is. I'll go announce it."

I snagged his arm. "In the morning when everyone is sober. Besides, I want my midnight kiss."

The countdown started and at zero, Merlin swooped down and claimed my lips, not letting go until a few of the Court drunkenly wandered by and began catcalling.

-SPACE-

Our travels to the countries of the world started in mid-February and were rather enlightening, especially when Merlin would magically sneak us away from our assigned government escorts. We met all sorts of people from all walks of life while learning so many things, mostly due to the language spell Merlin used on us. We had lots of fun while getting the approval of the religious leaders of the world and winning over the hearts of everyone else.

The end of May found us back in Camelot and me pouring over wedding stuff.

Everyone had ideas as to how the wedding _must_ go and everything else, and with three weeks to go until the day every little girl dreams of, I had finally had enough and sent everyone from the room so I could throw a Royal Temper Tantrum.

Merlin was there a minute or so later and wrapped me in a hug. "You lasted longer than I thought you would."

I rolled my eyes. "I've more patience this time around. How else did you think I was putting up with you?"

He ignored my question. "So what's the matter?"

I gestured to the multitude of wedding things spread out on the table before me. "This is. Everyone keeps telling me 'a Royal Wedding should be like _this_' and then trying to command me to do it that way. I keep getting told my dress should look a certain way, but not any way I really want it. When I was little and dreaming up my Big Day as all little girls are wont to do, it was nothing like this. It was the day the man I loved and I celebrated our love by joining two halves of a whole into one before our family and friends and the officiator. I wasn't picky on if it was a priest or not. And it's useless trying to ask for your opinion."

He kissed the top of my head. "All I want is for you to be happy. I don't care how we get married, just that we do. It's your day Alys, shape it the way _you_ want. Feel better now?"

I released the breath I held, feeling my tension fade away as I came to a decision. "Yeah. You can go back to whatever you were doing before I proved I'm still a Royal Prat."

"You're _my_ Royal Prat thank you. And I'll turn anyone else who calls you that into a toad."

I laughed. "Oh please don't. I'll be missing all but like three of my Knights if you do."

He laughed as well and left.

I opened the window, grabbed armful after armful of wedding stuff, and chucked it out the window.

It was, as Merlin had pointed out, _my_ wedding and no one was going to dictate how one of the greatest days of _my_ life was going to go except me.

Dragon's people all looked up when I strode into the room like a woman on a mission, which I was.

"And to what do I owe this great pleasure?" Dragon asked with a smirk.

"I trust you." I told him.

"Well I knew that. Otherwise you wouldn't have let me and mine take over where the Royal Seamstress and Tailor worked," he shot back.

"No, I mean with the creation of my wedding dress. It's my wedding and those Wedding Nazis are going to have to realize that."

He pulled out a sheet of paper from his design drawings book and held it out to me.

I took it and beamed at him. "It's absolutely _perfect_!"

He took the drawing back. "I was thinking white ivory silk for the dress itself and Pendragon red and gold thread for the details."

"Do as you wish. Our colors are gold and silver with undertones of red and blue, so it will work."

"And what of your dress for your coronation?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I'm a Pendragon. Might as well stick with the family colors." I withdrew from his domain, corralled Olivia and my mother, and finished planning my wedding to fit what I wanted.

-SPACE-

Three days before my wedding, I was wringing my hands as I waited in a small room off the Throne Room.

I was waiting for the fanfare that would signal my entrance into the Throne Room for my coronation and was trying to keep down the light breakfast I'd eaten at Merlin's urging and not run my hands through my hair and mess up the attractive style Dragon had put it in.

My parents entered the room and I smiled shakily at them.

Mom took my hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. "I am so proud of you, Alys. You've already done so much in such a short time."

"Thanks Mom."

Dad just stared at me.

"Daddy?"

He took me from Mom and pulled me into a tight hug, careful not to muss my hair or dress. "I am prouder of you than I can express. I worried about the type of person you'd end up being when your mother was pregnant and you have surpassed even my greatest dream and wishes." He kissed my forehead and then held me out at arms' length. "Now no more nerves, you hear me? Go out there with head held high and shine like the bright sun you are."

I stood up straighter. "Will do.'

Mom beamed at me. "Good. Now your father and I are going back to our seats. We love you sweetheart."

"I love you guys too."

Soon after they sat down, the music started and I walked out.

Everyone who had been invited to our wedding was there, even Goodhurst and his group. The royalty and other leaders of the world sat in the audience while the religious leaders of the world all stood at the front by my throne.

Merlin stood at the farthest end of the line with my crown on a pillow.

Many had said that I needed a new crown, one with jewels on it, but I merely told them that it had been enough for me as Arthur Pendragon and it was more than enough for Alys Penn so it stayed the same.

I kneeled before them and swore to uphold all the things Camelot stood for and to do my best to keep peace in the world.

My crown was passed from person to person before the pope placed it on my head.

"We present to you Queen Alys Penn, Ruler of Camelot and Guardian of Peace. Long live Queen Alys!" the pope stated as I stood.

The room echoed with the sentiment before bursting out into applause and cheers as I sat down on my throne.

Merlin walked over to stand just behind my right shoulder. "Now you're back where you finally belong."

"And just think, in a little over two days, you get to sit up here with me." I returned.

"And I cannot wait. Nice dress, Dragon did good work. What does your wedding gown look like?"

I smirked at him, smoothing down the red, black, and gold skirt of my coronation dress. "Nice try, but I'm not going to tell you." I thought about the gorgeous dress hidden in the caverns beneath the castle in an airtight, waterproof garment bag.

Merlin pouted a little and then asked me to dance as the party to celebrate my coronation began.

-SPACE-

Dragon had outdone himself with my gown.

It was of a design like those of Camelot of old and was made of spider silk, which meant it was light as air, soft as clouds, and stronger than Kevlar (or so Dragon assured me).

Somehow, with Merlin's help, he had created Silk Spiders whose whole purpose in life was to eat bugs and create silk for Dragon's creations. To be honest, they'd creeped me out the first and only time I'd seen them. Especially when some of them produced _colored_ silk.

Anyway, all over the dress in red and gold thread were dragons.

I was utterly in love with my dress and couldn't stop looking at it and running my hands over it.

Aunt Laudine finished pinning up my hair in a cascade of dark blonde curls since I had grown it out, just as Aunt Anna put the final touches on my makeup.

Mom carefully perched my crown on my head. "There. Are you sure you don't want a veil?"

I stood up and shook free the wrinkles of my dress. "I want nothing obstructing my view of Merlin or his of me. Is it time yet?"

"Twenty minutes till time. You sure you want to get married? Still time to back out." Olivia offered. "You can still elope."

"Merlin and I are not you and Gavin. And I still can't believe you didn't let me be there for you." I complained.

She fiddled with her own wedding band. "You were busy travelling."

Over the last couple of months, more and more of my Court had disappeared and then reappeared with wedding rings on their left hands. The only people not wearing them were Merlin and I and the triad, though Morgause, Morgana, and Mordred all wore promise rings and Merlin and I were about to fix our bit of that.

Eventually a soft knock came from the door and my father entered.

All the other women filed out, saying they'd see me in five minutes.

"My little Warrior Princess grew up." Dad commented softly. "It seems like they just placed your tiny form in my arms and then I blinked and here you are getting ready to marry the man of your dreams. You're beautiful Alys."

I blinked away tears. "Oh Daddy. Please don't make me cry, I'll mess up all of Aunt Anna's hard work."

He pulled out his handkerchief and gently dabbed at my eyes, his own swimming in tears. "Here now, let's not do that. Your aunt would have my head."

I smiled. "I may be getting married, but I will _always_ be your little girl."

He took a breath. "Standard father procedure demands I ask this, even if I'm pretty sure what the answer is. Are you sure he and this is what you want? Because I am more than willing to spirit you away."

I took his arm. "I've never been more sure of anything. I love him and I can't see anyone else I want beside me in the chaos that is my life."

He patted my hand. "Then let's get you down the aisle."

The music for the others started after we descended the stairs and they entered. Isolde beamed at me before walking down the long aisle and dropping gold and silver rose petals.

I adjusted my hold on the gold colored roses Morgause had grown just for this (I wasn't going to ask how she'd gotten the roses to be naturally gold and silver colored, too much of an explanation involved as my aunts found out) and took a deep breath.

The music changed to the song I had chosen as the bridal march and everyone rose from their seats as I entered the room on Dad's arm.

Merlin's jaw fell open before he began to grin like a complete idiot, a smile I felt myself returning.

We made it to the end of the aisle, and Dad kissed my cheek and placed my hand in Merlin's.

Dad turned to the preacher before he could ask 'who gives this woman away'. "So everyone knows, the only person that gives my daughter away is my daughter. I'm just here to make sure she didn't trip down the stairs. Take care of her, Merlin." He went and sat down next to my mother.

And on that funny note, my wedding began.

The ceremony was sort of a mishmash of types, mostly the typical wedding ceremony and the old fashioned handfastings from Camelot.

With my eyes on Merlin's, the only things that really stuck out in my mind were the vows and the kiss.

"Long ago you stood by me as my best friend and pretty much the only person who stood up to me when I was the spoiled son of a grief-stricken king who unmercifully hunted down and killed those of magic, and then stood by me as I united a kingdom and stayed there as I took my last breath. You then spent hundreds of years looking for me, a devotion no one else had ever given. And I wish to return it because I love you more than anything. Now we stand here celebrating our love for each other and getting ready to step into a life together as equals, as it should have been so long ago. I pledge to you everything I was, everything I am, and everything I will be. My heart, my soul, and all the rest are yours. And with this ring, I seal my vow." I slid the gold ring with dragons etched on it on his ring finger.

Merlin looked at me for a moment, smiling. "Long ago when we first met, I thought you the greatest prat in existence. Then I saved your life and found out you could be an even bigger one as the huge list of chores I was given could attest. Once I really got to know you, even though I complained, I didn't really mind doing them because I realized that there was more to you than the rest of the world saw. Then you became the greatest king in history and I was glad to have had a hand in making you that king. But events outside our control took you before you reached your greatest peak. I had sworn loyalty to you and trusted in the promise that you would return. Now we're here, together as it always has been and should be. I loved you then even if I didn't realize it, and I love you even more now. I pledge to you everything I was, everything I am, and everything I will be. My heart, my soul, my magic, and all the rest are yours. I seal this vow with this ring." He slid a matching ring on my finger and then replaced my engagement ring.

The dragon that was my engagement ring wrapped itself around my wedding band and then settled.

The priest tied our hands together with a braided cord of gold, silver, and copper threads and said the incantation Merlin had taught him.

The cords glowed and then disappeared.

I smiled at Merlin, feeling the invisible and intangible cords that now bound our hearts and souls together.

Galahad stepped forward with Merlin's silver crown on a pillow.

Merlin kneeled before me as I lifted it up.

"Do you promise to help uphold the values and beliefs of Camelot, to stand by me in all times, holding me up if I start to fall, assist me in making decisions, and protecting those that rely on us?" I asked.

"I promise to do all that and anything else you might ask of me," he swore.

I placed the crown on his crown on his head. "I now crown you my Royal Consort and the love of my lives. Rise and stand as my equal."

Merlin stood and took my hand.

"I present to you their Royal Majesties, Queen Alys Emrys-Penn and King Merlin Emrys, Prince Consort. Long live their Majesties! You may kiss the bride." the priest stated.

Merlin and I looked at each other.

Merlin grinned. "You gonna kiss me or what?"

I wrapped my hands around his neck and pulled him into a kiss.

The room exploded in cheers and clapping as Merlin and I kissed.

I took my roses back from Olivia and walked down the aisle with Merlin.

Everyone followed us to the huge reception tent set up just outside the walls of Camelot.

We greeted everyone and thanked them for coming. We'd decided to skip the usual pictures, the posed kind, and just stick with candid shots.

Once everyone was sitting, we cut the cake.

It was a huge cake. The cake itself was a layered golden sponge cake held together by a light strawberry flavored cream and covered in a light whipped icing with dragons in silver, blue, red, and gold. The topper was a miniature of Camelot since there really weren't any figurines that fit us.

"If you smash that cake in my face, you'll be spending our wedding night in your tower alone and not in our bed." I warned Merlin.

He broke off a small piece of our slice and carefully fed it to me.

I picked up a piece and fed it to him.

Olivia and Gavin handled getting cake to everyone while we fed the rest of our slice to each other.

Dancing came next and Merlin had dipped back into his musical side and wrote a song for our first dance, one that captured everything.

"You look breathtaking." Merlin told me as we danced.

"Thank you. You look good yourself. Dragon did good with making an outfit like your original one but making it of higher quality cloth." I replied.

"He has a gift. Thank you for the portrait of my mother being placed on my side."

I kissed him. "Hunith would have wanted to see you get married, having mentioned it to me a couple times when I was Arthur. And I wanted you to feel as if you had your own family there. I wish she could actually have been here."

"I think she and my father both were. I dreamt about them last night. They were very proud of me they said and were extremely happy for us."

"I'm glad. I was a little worried that they wouldn't approve of me." I laid my head on his shoulder.

He kissed the top of my head. "My mother made the point to tell me that she approves of our union much more than she would have back then because you're a better person this time. And according to my father, they helped this time around so you would stay alive and we could get together."

"I can believe that considering the few times I could have been killed as a child."

He stiffened a little, but kept us dancing. "Why wasn't I told of these instances?"

"I didn't think to tell you. The first time happened when I was five. We'd gone on a family trip to the beach and I wandered off and a wave knocked me over and drugged me out a little ways. I couldn't break the surface and now that I think about it, the guy who saved me and then mysteriously disappeared into thin air as my parents came running looked a lot like your father. And the voice in my head that told me to roll out of the way the one time my old horse got spooked and I fell off sounded like him. And then a few years later, right before I met Gavin and Olivia, a woman who looked remarkably like your mother pulled me from the road when a car came speeding around the corner as I was on my way to the library. You know, when we have kids, I want to name them after your parents."

"We're naming one son Arthur." Merlin told me.

"Arthur Balinor and Hunith Avalon. I like it."

Dinner was a buffet, so as we finished our dance people were filling plates and eating. Toasts would be the last thing as the wedding gifts had already been opened and listed.

Dad came over as the last note faded. "I believe this is my dance with the bride."

Merlin gave him my hand with a smile. "Here you are. I think that while you dance with Alys, I'll go ask her mother for a dance."

"First you steal my daughter and now you're going to steal my wife? You are a terrible man." Dad teased.

"So long as I get my wife back at the end of the dance, so too will you." Merlin replied before going over to sweep Mom onto the dance floor.

"I know I've already told you this Princess, but you're beautiful. You remind me of your mother on our wedding day, radiant and deliriously happy. I can tell that you and Merlin are going to have a long and happy marriage. Just know that your mother and I's door is always open if you need a place to go after an argument." Dad stated.

"I will Daddy. And thank you."

He glanced over at Mom. "Your mother is already talking about grandchildren. I want you to know that I'm looking forward to them as well, but I want you to take your time in having them."

I raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Any particular type of grandchild you'd like?"

"I'm not particular, but I would very much like a gorgeous little granddaughter who is just like her mother."

"I'll see what I can do." I returned.

Dad handed me back to Merlin at the end of the dance and we spent a little more time dancing with each other and other people before we decided it was time for us to have dinner.

Lance, Merlin's Best Man, stood up and called for attention once we were done eating. "To the bride and groom, may you grow together and love each other more than the day before, but less than the next. To the groom, take good care of her because while we Knights like you, it is her we listen to. Plus she's better with a sword than you are and will no doubt use that fact to her advantage. To the radiant bride, try not to send him to the stocks when you get upset with him, he _can_ get out of them. To Alys and Merlin."

Everyone but Merlin and I took a drink and then Olivia stood up.

"Alys, I have known you since middle school, seen you take taunts and insults and the occasional blow with grace and come out on top, and seen you come into your own through hard work and pressure. You are a diamond like no other and I know you will shine far brighter than even the sun with the love of your life at your side. Merlin, for as long as I've known Alys and dealt with her now completely understandable obsession with anything of Arthurian Legend, you have always been the one she talked of and mentioned most, so it was only right that this day happen. You have a great treasure in her, don't lose her or hurt her. And to the both of you, may the best of your yesterdays be the worst of your tomorrows."

My father stood as Olivia sat down. "Unfortunately, I am the only father able to give a speech today, but I will try to make it something my counterpart would approve of. Alys, my little Warrior Princess, never have I been so happy and yet so sad when it comes to you. This day has been one I have dreaded since we found out your mother was expecting but you couldn't have found a better man to marry. And I guess we should have expected that it would be him since you said you were going to marry Merlin quite adamantly when you were little."

This tidbit of information caused some chuckles as I gave him a slight glare while I blushed.

Dad turned to Merlin. "Merlin, you are the man my little girl loves and I place her safety and happiness in your very capable hands. Just remember that if you hurt her, everything you were told when you asked for her hand will happen. May the two of you love for as long as you live and live for as long as you love."

Mom took his place. "Like my husband, I am the only mother able to give a speech and I can only hope my counterpart will like it. Alys, unlike your father, I have dreamt of this day since before your birth and this is more than my wildest dream. But you have the most important thing, you are completely and utterly in love with your groom and loved just as much in return. Merlin, I am absolutely thrilled to welcome you to our family and to be able to call you my son. You'll take wonderful care of her. I know this because the worst my husband can do is nothing compared to what _I_ can do to you if you hurt her. May any arguments be like a bolt of lightning, quickly here and then gone and your love constant as the sun."

Merlin and I stood. We had agreed that there would only be six speeches so the reception didn't drag on forever.

Merlin went first. "Lance, thank you for that wish. It's true, only Alys has many days to try and catch up on." He ignored my stuck out tongue and turned to Olivia. "If I have any say in it, the worst of our tomorrows will be better than the best of our yesterdays. Mr. Penn, rest assured that I have no intentions of hurting your daughter. And I have lived and loved her for over a thousand years, I don't plan on stopping any time soon. Mrs. Penn, thank you. I am deeply honored to call you my mother, and I know that my own mother would more than approve of your speech. And I thank everyone else for coming to our wedding."

I lifted my own glass. "I too thank everyone for coming to celebrate this joyous day with us. Lance, so far that's the way it's been, though Merlin really is the idiot I accuse him of being if he thinks my soul hasn't loved him since even long ago, which is why I think things didn't work out with Gwen. Liv, I was only able to do what you mentioned because of friends like you and as long as you and Merlin and the rest of the Court are there, I have no doubt that I can do what needs to be done. Mom, Dad, thank you for trying to terrify my husband. I'm rather surprised he's not running away screaming, but then again he's never had good self-preservation skills so I'm not all that surprised. My only hope is that my marriage is like yours."

Goodhurst and his 'Merlin' hurried forward with a wooden box and an open bottle of champagne.

"I apologize Your Majesties, but I wish to show that I have no hard feelings. I give you these two goblets as a gift and would like to toast to the bright future of Camelot under its King and Queen." Goodhurst stated.

Merlin checked the goblets he was handed and found nothing.

Goodhurst filled Merlin's goblet since his glass was empty.

I declined having him top off my glass.

Goodhurst lifted his glass. "To Camelot. May it flourish under its true rulers."

Everyone took a drink and it was like watching the past repeat itself as Merlin began to choke and then fell to the ground.

My father proved that he was the reincarnation of Uther Pendragon when he jumped to his feet and roared 'seize them!' as the Knights swarmed to do just that and drag them off to the updated dungeons.

People began to panic as I dropped down by Merlin.

Gavin began yelling for this and that, sending a few Knights running to the castle to get it.

I cupped Merlin's cheeks with my hands, tears streaming down my face. "Don't you dare die on me, Merlin. I love you."

Members of the Court and my mother gathered around us.

My wedding day ended with the head of my dying husband of only a few hours in my lap and me unable to do anything to help him.

My uselessness only made me cry harder as I hugged him to me and brushed his hair from his forehead.

* * *

><p>AN: *sits back in chair with a wicked grin* Oh dear, Merlin's repeating history. Silly warlock. Whatever shall happen?


	8. Reaching Avalon

Chapter 8: Reaching Avalon

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

* * *

><p>"This is all your fault." I hissed at my husband as another wave of pain started.<p>

He just smiled and wiped my sweaty brow as I leaned against him.

"You're doing great Alys. It won't be much longer now. You're almost there." Gavin stated from between my knees.

"Well I should damn well hope so!" I growled at him.

"Exactly how is this _my_ fault? It takes two for this type of thing, and I didn't hear you complaining. In fact, I distinctly remember you gasping and moaning 'harder' and 'faster'." my husband commented, trying to distract me from my pain.

I tried to turn around to hit him, but couldn't as the pain came again and I had to breathe my way through it.

"Merlin, if you're just going to aggravate her, leave." Morgana told him.

"Absolutely not! The Hell you're kicking him out. He's staying right where he is!" I snapped at her.

Merlin squeezed my hand he held. "I'm not going anywhere. No one is going to separate us. You're doing better than I would right now. And just think, in just a little bit we'll be holding the physical manifestation of our love. You are beautiful."

"I'm fat and sweaty and feel like I'm being ground between two millstones. How is that beautiful?" I questioned between pants.

"You can start pushing on the next contraction." Gavin told me.

I nodded as Merlin braced us for it.

The feel of his movements reassured me that he was very much there and alive after I'd almost lost him on our wedding day.

-SPACE-

Gavin and the others had to pry him from my grip to get him up to the castle.

I immediately pounced on the one person I knew had the knowledge to save him and nearly shook the answer from Dragon.

My uncles, Greg, and Percy refused to let me in the room where Gavin, Dragon, Mordred, Morgause, and Morgana were hard at work trying to save Merlin, going so far as to bar the door and Greg tossing me over his shoulder and carrying me to where my aunts, grandparents, cousins, mother, and the rest of the Court save a few Knights waited.

Isolde instantly attached herself to me. "Is Merlin going to be all right?"

I picked her up and hugged her close. "They're working on him right now. And I hope he will be."

She hugged me tightly, tears running down her small face.

Aunt Anna came and took her from me, trying to calm her.

I couldn't sit still and took to pacing.

Conversations were hushed and many eyes watched me.

My mind raced as thoughts chased each other.

I came to a decision and threw open the doors.

No one stopped me as I strode angrily through the halls, many rushed out of my way.

My father, Leon, Owen, and Peter all stood outside the cell Goodhurst and his 'Merlin' were in.

Dad was playing Uther Pendragon to a T, demanding to know what the poison was and how to treat Merlin.

Everyone stepped back when I moved to stand before the cell.

I knew I looked a bit of a fright with my hair starting to fall down from its up-do and my makeup having run a little.

Goodhurst grinned evilly. "Hello _Your Majesty_. How is your Consort? Has his heart stopped yet?"

His grin was quickly wiped away and replaced by a look of shocked fear as I quickly reached out to snag the front of his shirt and dragged him to the bars of the cell.

"You had better hope he doesn't die." I told him in a low and dangerous voice, the smile I wore dark and slightly crazed. "Because if he does, so will you and it will be a long and painful death." I let him go and stepped back. "Peter."

"Yes Your Majesty?" he asked.

"Could you see to it that two racks are able to be used and the caverns below the castle are reachable?"

He bowed. "Right away." He left to do what I had requested.

"Leon, Owen, keep a close eye on these two. You'll be relieved in a couple hours." I turned towards the stairs.

Dad fell into step with me. "Alys, I know you are well within your rights to determine their fates, but perhaps the rack is a bit much?"

"It's better than what I really want to do to them." I replied.

"Which is?"

"Filleting the skin off them layer by layer while they're still alive and screaming."

"Are you all right Alys?" he asked as we reached the upper level of the castle.

I stopped walking and looked at him, tears once more streaming down my face. "No. I'm losing the love of my life on what _should_ be our wedding night. I don't know what I'll do if I really do lose him. His love for me and mine for him is the one absolute certainty I have."

Dad drew me into a hug. "I'll take care of everything. You go to your room and rest." He gently pushed me towards the stairs that led to the Royal Bedchambers.

Instead of going to them, I went to Merlin's tower and locked myself inside.

The whole room smelt of Merlin and I could almost see him bent over a table hard at work.

I tossed my crown in some random direction, not caring where it landed, and tore my hair free of the pins holding it up.

Crumpling to the floor, I threw a fit, crying and screaming and slamming my hands against the floor until they bled. Eventually I cried myself to sleep right there on the floor with the smell and presence of Merlin all around me.

It was completely dark except for the small fire burning in the fireplace when I woke from my restless and uncomfortable sleep on the floor.

Two kind arms gathered me close and hugged me to a warm torso as I began crying again.

"I can't lose him." I stated softly.

"And you won't. My son is made of stronger stuff than your enemies know. He's going to pull through." the voice of Merlin's mother told me.

I looked up at her. "Am I dreaming?"

Hunith smiled at me. "No my darling daughter, you aren't."

I clung to her. "This is all my fault! Your son is dying and it's all my fault! I'm so sorry!"

Balinor crouched down next to us, a cup of tea in one hand and a handkerchief in the other. He dabbed at my tears and handed me the cup of tea. "It is not your fault, daughter ours. You must never think that." He grabbed the dragon he'd carved for Merlin from the shelf and held it up to where I could see it. "My son is related to dragons. Having fought one, you know how difficult it is to kill one. He's just found you, Merlin is not about to let you go. You should not give up on him quite so easily." He placed the carving in my free hand and wrapped my fingers around it.

I looked at my in-laws. "I never got to thank the two of you for saving my life as a child."

Hunith brushed my hair from my face. "It was the least we could do. We wanted to save you before, but the gods forbid it. This time they had no choice but to let us. And we thought it was long past time that Merlin get what he deserved. You planned a beautiful wedding, Alys."

I took a sip if the tea and found it had been made perfectly. "Thank you. I just wish the two of you could have physically been there."

"So do we." Balinor agreed.

"You'll take good care of Merlin, won't you?" Hunith asked.

"You have my word on that. I won't send him to the stocks, but I can't promise that I won't banish him to his tower alone when he makes me mad."

Hunith laughed. "I'd never ask that of you. A wife has to be able to punish her husband somehow." She kissed my forehead and hugged me. "Now, you go take care of Merlin. He needs you."

Balinor kissed my forehead too. "And so you don't worry, you have our blessing and approval. Now off you go."

I watched them fade away before looking at the carving I held. I ran gentle fingers over it.

Downing my tea, I got to my feet and headed to Merlin and I's room.

I quickly changed into jeans and one of Merlin's shirts from Old Camelot, exchanging my dancing slippers for tennis shoes. I wrapped the carving in one of Merlin's neckerchiefs and tied it to my belt loop. I knew that they would still have the door to Gavin's workroom guarded and would refuse me entrance, especially if it was bad.

There was no one about as I made my way outside and began scaling the side of the castle.

Due to the summer heat, the windows of the room were open and I wriggled through one, careful not to make much noise.

Merlin was the only one in the room, his brow covered in sweat even as he shivered under four thick blankets.

I could tell it was really bad, but had faith he would pull through.

After all, why would my in-laws, my mother-in-law especially, lie to me?

I moved a chair to his bedside, unwrapped the carving, and closed Merlin's fingers around it. "You're going to make it Merlin. I know you are. You're like a dragon, nearly impossible to kill. And I'm not going to let you leave me. If you die, there's no one else for me and I'll die old and alone because I'll marry no one else nor will I let anyone but you father my children. You are the other half of my soul and I won't settle for less than you." I dipped a cloth in a bucket of water by his bed and wiped his fevered brow. "I love you, Merlin."

For the rest of the night I sat by his side, mopping his brow with cool water and my hand wrapped around his that held the carving.

His fever broke as the first rays of the sun touched the horizon.

I softly sang the lullaby he'd sung to me on nights I was having trouble sleeping, the very same lullaby Hunith had sung to him as a child and the one that had always haunted my dreams after a nightmare and calmed me.

Gavin came in a couple hours later, looking grim. He stopped short when he saw me. "How'd you get in here?"

"How I got in here is not important. His fever broke at dawn. He's going to make it, Gavin." I smiled.

Gavin came over and checked Merlin's vitals. "How? He was knocking at Death's door last night."

"Merlin is a Dragonlord, which means he's related to dragons. He's not easy to get rid of."

Merlin's eyelids flickered and then opened halfway.

I smiled at him. "Hello you. You know, I'd appreciate it if you'd warn me if you're going to repeat history. Thought I might have to go on another potentially deadly quest to save your life."

He blinked a couple times to clear his sight and then frowned. "Why are traces of my healing salve on your hands?" he rasped.

I glanced at my hands, seeing the skin had been healed. "I sort of threw a fit, thinking I was going to lose you. I guess your parents took care of them before I woke up. They came to visit me extremely early this morning and we had a little chat. Since you weren't there, someone had to knock some sense through my thick skull."

Merlin smiled, eyes closing. "Not so thick this time." He fell back to sleep.

I kissed him and stood up. "I'll go announce his recovery. Do you think he can be moved to our room? I want him comfortable and don't plan on leaving his side while he's recuperating."

"I'll see what I can do. Where's your crown? You never go without it when it comes to State matters."

I shrugged. "Somewhere in Merlin's tower. I didn't really pay attention to where it landed when I threw it. I'll find it when I announce his recovery to the world leaders."

The Knights standing outside Gavin's workroom, Kevin and Brendon, stared open mouthed as I exited the room, calling out that Merlin was going to be all right over my shoulder.

By this time, my family and the Court had gathered in the kitchen for breakfast.

I entered with a happy skip, swept Isolde into an impromptu dance that made her laugh, and beamed at the rest. "Merlin's going to be all right. His fever broke at dawn and he woke up for a couple minutes and talked to me."

The cloud hanging over the castle lifted as everyone breathed a sigh of relief and began talking.

I grabbed a bright green apple from the fruit bin and bit into it.

"You look tired, Alys. Did you get much sleep?" Uncle Gawain asked.

"A couple hours of restless sleep before spending the rest of the night at Merlin's bedside. I'll grab a nap later."

Dad's head snapped up from his mug of coffee.

"How did you get in to do that? The Knights had orders to not let you in," he stated.

"That's never stopped me before when I wanted to do something. It was a good thing the windows were open." I grinned at the expressions they had.

"You scaled the castle wall? That's sweet!" Lucan exclaimed.

I pointed at him. "It's dangerous so don't you ever do it. I find out you ever tried to do it, I'll hang you by your ankles from the battlements."

"Yes Alys."

I smiled at the others. "Well I'm off to tell our guests that Merlin's going to be just fine." I made a detour to the tower before heading out to make the announcement.

My crown was sitting on a worktable when I entered.

I put it on and smiled at the room. "Thank you Mother, Father."

-SPACE-

It was almost a month and a half before Merlin returned to full health. The whole time, I very rarely left his side and handled any issues that came up via conference video calls on my laptop.

Merlin swept us off to the small tropical island he owned (something I sure wasn't complaining about) once he was well and we enjoyed a late three week honeymoon savoring the sun, the sand, and each other.

When we returned to Camelot, _I_ owed _Merlin_ orgasms. We also had to handle a couple 'crises' that had come up while we were gone, which were easily resolved.

Life returned to normal, though a couple months later found me puking my guts up pretty much every morning and most nights, or whenever the smell or mention of something didn't agree with me.

Merlin, thinking I could be dying, fussed over me. He kept trying to magically diagnose what was wrong.

I started trying to count days one morning as I dry heaved and realized I had twice missed something that had always shown up like clockwork. I then, after shooing Merlin off to do his usual stuff, snuck into Gavin and Olivia's chambers and snatched a little white plastic stick wrapped in plastic from Olivia's stash.

About ten minutes later, I was slipping into Merlin's tower with the stick in hand.

I leaned against the closed door and just took a moment to watch Merlin at work making magic imbued salves for the Knights.

He put everything to the side when he saw me. "Did you need something, Alys?"

I walked over to where he stood. "Found out why I've been getting sick." I placed the plastic stick in his hand.

He stared at it in confusion for a few seconds before realization set in. "Alys…This is…And it says…"

I grinned. "I know what it says, Merlin. Apparently some of the Knights and Gavin aren't the only ones about to suffer. Congratulations…Daddy."

Merlin spun me around once in joy before setting me down on a table and placing a hand on my so-far flat stomach.

I closed my eyes and sighed blissfully as Merlin's magic flowed over me.

He had tears in his eyes when I opened mine. "Two, Alys. We have _twins_!"

We both clung to the other and cried happy tears until Merlin carried me to his bed in the tower while proclaiming that 'the world can wait.'

-SPACE-

No one was told on the off chance I was like my mother, who had been pregnant a few times and then lost them as her body rejected the zygotes.

Dragon seemed to know though as he dropped some slightly bigger clothes off a few days later, but considering whom he had once been it wasn't surprising.

On December twenty-first, we announced our good news to everyone and sent the whole world into a frenzy as the succession was secured.

Merlin became _extremely_ overprotective, which quickly became annoying.

That doesn't mean I didn't take advantage of it though. It was rather easy most days to get out of going to meetings I didn't want to go to while still making Merlin have to suffer through them.

On these days I joined the rest of the expecting women of Camelot and a few that weren't expecting to enjoy some 'Girl Time' and eat things our husbands refused to let us eat even if we were craving it. All of our diets, mine especially, were closely watched and regulated.

A few of the Knights had found out about our 'Illicit Eating Ring' but knew better than to tell because I'd kill them once I could spar again and Morgana and Morgause threatened all manner of things if they told.

The months seemed to fly by, which led to where I was now.

I had been having Braxton-Hicks on and off for the last month, so I didn't think much of the ones I'd been having all day until I stood up with Merlin to go to our room after dinner.

My eyes widened when I felt a gush of liquid go down my leg and I squeezed Merlin's hand tightly as I hissed in pain.

"What's wrong?" he questioned, eyeing my pale face.

"Your children are coming." I replied.

Merlin instantly swept me off to our room and certain people followed.

Labor and birth took sixteen hours and when it was all over, Merlin and I held our beautiful son and daughter.

Little Arthur Balinor was his father made over, only with blond hair. He was going to be a little heartbreaker when he got older.

Tiny Hunith Avalon, fifteen minutes younger than her brother, was a mix of me and Merlin and had curly black hair.

I could already tell that Merlin was going to try and keep her away from all boys, which meant that all her 'aunts' and I were going to have to help her get around him.

Merlin kissed my forehead as I leaned against a huge pile of pillows and held Arthur. "Thank you."

I smiled tiredly at him. "It takes two to do this as you pointed out. But you're welcome."

He took Arthur from me as I yawned. "Here. You get some rest. I know you have to be exhausted after what you just did."

I yawned again. "I'm beyond exhausted. And I refuse to do this again for at least a couple more years. Now go show off our children. I'm sure my parents are dying to meet their grandchildren. And the world will be curious as to the Heirs of Camelot."

"Yes, love. I'll keep everyone from visiting while you rest."

I settled further into the pillows. "I knew there was a reason I loved you."

He chuckled and kissed me. "I love you. _We_ love you."

I smiled sleepily. "And I love the three of you. Now go before our family breaks down the door."

Morgana and Gavin finished cleaning up and followed Merlin out.

I heard everyone outside the room begin to coo and fuss over the twins.

Excalibur in its scabbard and Merlin and I's crowns all twinkled at me from the chair and table across the room respectively, as did the tiny circlets of twined gold and silver that sat between Merlin's crown and mine.

My little family was complete, happy, and healthy.

My smile refused to leave my face as I fell into a well deserved rest.

Once upon a time ago, a body my soul had once inhabited was taken to the island of Avalon and Merlin had been promised Avalon at the end of everything.

Avalon wasn't a place, I had realized. It was a state of being. And after so many years of searching and disappointment, we had finally reached it.

* * *

><p>AN: And that's the end folks. I've been thinking about writing up little snapshots of the scenes I left out, like Merlin's lecture and Alys' birthday. I've also been comtemplating writing a story about the twins and/or Sir Sugar Bowl, either in third-person or from Sir Sugar Bowl's point of view, but I don't know if anyone is interested in reading anything like that. Oh well. Thanks for reading!


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